Baku 2015 Flame reaches front-line

/By AzerNews/

By Nigar Orujova

The Flame of Baku 2015 first European Games continues its journey around the country. This time it reached the very regions which were turned into a front-line against Armenia's armed aggression.

Over the weekend, the Flame arrived in Beylagan.

At the Gate of the European Games the Flame was handed to teacher of Child-Youth Sports School Ali Sariyev.

Following, ten torchbearers started their 3.1 kilometers long route and carried the flame into Heydar Aliyev Park to the sound of wild applause.

Freestyle wrestling coach of “Mehsul” Village Voluntary Sports Society, Nofel Huseynov lit a special commemorative lamp in honor of the European Games.

Footage of the torch lighting ceremony of the first European Games in the Temple of Ateshgah on April 26 was shown at the ceremony.

Following, the torch of Baku 2015 headed to the village of Khojavend, on the territory of Beylagan region, which houses IDPs. A festive mood reigned here as thousands of internally displaced people waited with flowers and flags, all ready to meet the torch.

Teacher of the secondary school of the village Salaketin, Telly Aliyeva shared her impressions: "Today the first European Games torch was lit in the village of Khojavend. This is a great event for the residents who have been internally displaced for more than 20 years due to Armenian armed invasion.

“The arrival of the torch in our village revived the fire of hope, always smoldering in the heart of every inhabitant. We believe that such grandiose events will soon take place in the lands of our ancestors, which are under occupation now.”

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. A terrible and bloody war ensued in the early 1990s in between Armenia and Azerbaijan, leading to hundreds of thousands of people to be displaced.

The Baku 2015 Flame then went to Agjabedi on May 10. Here it crossed the 3.5 kilometers and lit the lamp of European Games.

The flame also reached the front-line area of the Aghdam region.

In the evening, in the village Guzanli solemn meeting of the torch was held a. Employee of the Karabakh regional center of the Emergency Situations Ministry, Saleh Gurbanli received a symbolic torch at the gate of the first European Games.

Then young people, passing the torch to each other, covered a distance of 3 kilometers along the avenue Heydar Aliyev, to bring it to the venue of the Festival of Fire at the State

Flag Square in a park Gala, located at the foot of the hill Soltanbud.

The Fire Festival with the participation of thousands of Agdam residents ended with magnificent fireworks.

Baku 2015 European Games will gather over 6,000 athletes from 50 countries to compete in 20 sports, including 16 Olympic.

The Journey of the Flame is bringing the spirit of Baku Games across Azerbaijan from April 26. In some 48 days, the spirit of Baku 2015 will inspire 60 regions across Azerbaijan, to finally arrive in the magnificent Baku National Stadium on June 12.

To follow the Journey of Flame please visit: baku2015.com/flame.