No:268/22, Information of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan

On May 31, 2022, the Sofia Opera and Ballet Theater staged the ballet "One Thousand and One Night" by the great composer Fikret Amirov on the occasion of the Independence Day of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria.

The gala ballet, held with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Republic of Bulgaria and the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria Teodora Genchovska, President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva, Bulgarian officials, representatives of the diplomatic corps in Bulgaria and numerous spectators.

Speaking at the opening of the evening, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov noted that the first democratic republic in the Muslim East was the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, proclaimed in 1918, and that in 1991 our country restored its independence and underwent great development over three decades. He said that Azerbaijan has always been committed to the traditions of multiculturalism, and the ballet performed today is an example of multiculturalism as a joint project of Azerbaijani and Bulgarian artists. Minister T.Genchovska congratulated Azerbaijan on the occasion of the Independence Day and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, noting that the organization of the gala ballet also contributes to the development of bilateral relations in the field of culture. President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva stressed that Fikret Amirov, whose 100th anniversary we are celebrating, is a genius composer not only of Azerbaijan but of the entire Turkic world, and emphasized the importance of the gala ballet in terms of promoting Turkic culture.

In a ballet staged under the direction of conductor Ayyub Guliyev and choreographed by Eldar Aliyev, Bulgarian ballet dancers gave the audience an unforgettable gala night. The ballet performance, which caused great interest and enthusiastic reception, attracted a full house.