TODAY.AZ / Politics

Mehriban Aliyeva: Baku will welcome participants of European Games with traditional hospitality

13 April 2015 [10:02] - TODAY.AZ
A ceremony has been held in Moscow to present Baku 2015 European Games.

Azerbaijan`s first lady, president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Chair of the Baku 2015 European Games Organising Committee Mehriban Aliyeva attended the ceremony.

Azerbaijan`s first lady, president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Chair of the Baku 2015 European Games Organising Committee Mehriban Aliyeva, vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva arrived at the Congress Centre of the Hotel Ukraine.

Co-organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Azerbaijan`s Embassy to the Russian Federation, the event was attended by Russian public and political figures, representatives of the international sports community and other high-level guests.

The guests first viewed an exhibition devoted to Baku-2015. The guests were handed various publications of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation about Azerbaijan, including Baku 2015 Games.

Host of the event Dmitriy Shepelev said the fact the first European Games would be held in Baku testified to Azerbaijan`s image on the international arena. “This event, which is of profound political, economic and cultural importance, is an evidence of Azerbaijan`s successes achieved in the sport field in the past few years.”

Azerbaijan`s first lady, Chair of the Baku 2015 European Games Organising Committee Mehriban Aliyeva addressed the ceremony.

The event also heard a speech by President of the Russian Olympic Committee Alexander Zhukov. He said the European Olympic Committee made “an important and right decision – Europe needed its own Games”. Mr Zhukov said: “This is good that the First European Games was entrusted to grandiose Baku, Azerbaijan. This is really right decision. We know how Azerbaijanis love sport. We also know Baku has excellently hosted several huge competitions and has great experience in this field”.

The event then featured demonstration of a film about preparation for Baku-2015.

Baku was awarded the Games by the European Olympic Committees (EOC) in December 2012. The Baku European Games Operations Committee (BEGOC) will organise and run the Games in co-operation with the EOC.

There will be a total of 20 sports at Baku 2015: 16 Olympic sports and four non-Olympic sports. More than 6,000 athletes from across Europe will be representing their nations over 17 days of competition

Azerbaijan`s first lady, president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva has met heads of leading Russian mass media at the headquarters of TASS agency. The first lady, president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva was accompanied by vice president of the foundation Leyla Aliyeva.

Opening the meeting, first Deputy Director General of TASS Mikhail Gusman said “we are greatly honored to host the Azerbaijani first lady, Chair of the Baku 2015 European Games Organising Committee Mehriban Aliyeva”. Mr Gusman provided information about the Baku Games, hailing them as “a unique” event. “Azerbaijan attaches great importance to these Games,” he added.

Chair of the Baku 2015 European Games Organising Committee Mehriban Aliyeva said she was happy to be visiting Russia again. She highlighted preparations for the Baku Games. “There is a great deal of support for and interest in the Games from both the government, public organizations and ordinary citizens.” The first lady said the decision to grant the inaugural European Games to Baku testified to the fact that Azerbaijan “pays huge attention to sports, creation of state-of-the-art sports infrastructure, and accomplishments of Azerbaijani sportsmen on the international arena”.

Mehriban Aliyeva also responded to questions from Russian media leaders.

Azerbaijani Ambassador Polad Bulbuloghlu highlighted the activity of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and its Russia office. “Headed by vice president of the foundation Leyla Aliyeva the Russian office is carrying our very important humanitarian and social projects in Russian cities,” he added.

The first lady viewed photos taken by TASS photographers.

Following the meeting the first lady was interviewed by “Vesti nedeli” weekly program of Russia 24 channel.

In the interview, the first lady highlighted cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia in humanitarian area, preparations for the Baku 2015 Games, tolerance in Azerbaijan, and activity of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

Azerbaijan`s first lady, president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Chair of the Baku 2015 European Games Organising Committee Mehriban Aliyeva has said Baku will welcome participants of the European Games with traditional hospitality as she was interviewed by Russian TASS news agency as part of her visit to Moscow. “We are working to ensure most comfortable conditions for guests and participants of the Games,” she said.

“We are now in the final stage of preparations. Everything we planned has already been done. All sport facilities, except for one, have been built. We will conduct several test tournaments until the opening ceremony.” “These Games will set the standard for future ones,” said the Azerbaijani first lady.

“Our aim is that all sportsmen and delegates feel themselves comfortable in Azerbaijan. For the people of Azerbaijan receiving guests runs in their blood, it is in their genes.” “We tried to prepare a very rich cultural program as this is a brilliant opportunity for us to promote our country,” added Mehriban Aliyeva.

/By AzerTac/

URL: http://www.today.az/news/politics/139790.html

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