Azerbaijani embassy in Serbia pays tribute to Heydar Aliyev PHOTO

The memory of Azerbaijani national leader Heydar Aliyev was commemorated in Serbia on the 103rd anniversary of his birth.

Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Serbia Kamil Khasiyev and embassy staff visited the monument to the national leader in Tašmajdan Park in Belgrade, laying a wreath and flowers, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

The ambassador spoke about Heydar Aliyev’s contribution to Azerbaijan’s development.

“I want the younger generation to know about the work carried out by the national leader for our people. Films such as ‘Nasimi’ and ‘Babek’ were produced on the initiative of the great leader. They served to strengthen the ideology of Azerbaijani identity. At that time, our nation needed a figure like Heydar Aliyev to protect national interests,” he said.

The diplomat also described Heydar Aliyev as the founder of the Azerbaijani army.

“In the Soviet period, in the 1970s, Heydar Aliyev held a separate meeting with Azerbaijani servicemen. At that time, Azerbaijanis were rarely accepted into military academies and faced bias, but Heydar Aliyev secured quotas for Azerbaijanis in all military schools. In 1971, the Jamshid Nakhchivanski Military Lyceum was established in Baku on his initiative,” Khasiyev noted.

After the ceremony, participants also visited the monument to Serbian writer Milorad Pavić and the memorial “We Were Only Children,” dedicated to children killed during the 1999 NATO bombings of Belgrade.

By Jeyhun Aghazada