Azerbaijan-US Cultural Foundation establishes award after Israeli public figure Arye Gut

The Board of Directors of the Azerbaijan-US Cultural Foundation has decided to establish a special award named after Israeli public figure and journalist Arye Gut, who played an exceptional role in intensifying friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Israel over the past 15 years, as well as in conveying Azerbaijani realities to Israel.

The award, which will be presented annually at a special ceremony, will be given to individuals or organisations contributing to strengthening relations between Azerbaijan and Israel, Report informs.

The documentary film "In the blink of an eye" about Azerbaijani soldier Arif Hajiyev, who was wounded in the second Karabakh war, is dedicated to Gut’s bright memory. The film was shot with the involvement of the Azerbaijan-US Cultural Foundation and the American Double Trouble Production company.

During the last meeting with Gut in July 2022, Head of the Azerbaijan-US Cultural Foundation Nurit Greenger shared the idea of creating a documentary film about severely wounded veteran Arif Hajiyev, and Gut supported this initiative.

The 24-year-old Azerbaijani soldier partially lost sight after he was wounded in the 44-day second Karabakh war. The vision was restored after a successful operation performed by Israeli doctor Yishay Falick.

The Arye Gut Award is planned to be given during the presentation of the documentary film "In the Blink of an Eye", which is planned to be held in Baku in 2023.

Arye, who was born in Baku in 1975, moved to Israel in 2000, where he headed the representative office of the Baku International Multiculturalism Centre. He is the author of over 700 analytical articles on the Türkiye-Israel relations, the Israeli-Azerbaijani strategic partnership, the geopolitical situation in the South Caucasus, and the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.