World-famous photojournalist's exhibition "Khojaly: Wounded Souls" opens in Brussels PHOTO

The Azerbaijani embassy in the Kingdom of Belgium has held a photo exhibition of world-famous photojournalist Reza Deghati entitled "Khojaly: Wounded Souls" in Brussels.

The memory of those who died as a result of the powerful earthquakes in Türkiye, Syria, and Khoy city was revered by a minute of silence at the opening ceremony of the exhibition, according to Azertag.

While delivering a speech, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg Vagif Sadygov said that 613 civilians, including eight families, were killed by Armenians, 1,300 people were taken prisoner, and hundreds of minor children became orphans on February 26 morning, 1992.

Sadygov also informed about the Khojaly genocide which is a crime against humanity.

In his speech, Deghati said that he stopped dealing with architecture, which was once his main profession, and began to deal with photojournalism because of his love for humanity.

“The dissemination of realities through culture and art is a powerful tool,” he added.

He noted that wars, natural disasters, crises that entail fatal cases, and the destruction of buildings, historical monuments, and vital infrastructure, leave irreparable wounds in the memory of the survivors.

A concert dedicated to the memory of the Khojaly tragedy victims was held as part of the event in the presence of the Trio Manestri, created in Belgium by the granddaughter of Azerbaijani immortal composer Fikret Amirov, talented pianist-composer Nazrin Efendiyeva.

Azerbaijani folk songs were performed by Nazrin Efendiyeva (piano), Marie-Carmen Suarez (violin), and Astrid Gallez (flute), works by F. Amirov, A. Roizman, K. Azedian, L. Einaudi, V. Azarashvili, as well as such compositions as "In Memory of 613" and "Azerbaijani Miniatures" by Efendiyeva, created specifically for this event, were also performed.

Representatives of the diplomatic corps, EU officials, journalists, representatives of culture, scholars of Belgium, and others who joined the opening ceremony showed great interest in the exhibition and were informed about each photo.