Azerbaijan, Baku, May 31 / Trend A.Gasimova /
A solemn event was held on Azerbaijan's Republic Day at the Regency in Los Angeles.
The event was organized by the Azerbaijani Consulate General in LA and attended by about 400 representatives from Californian state agencies, the diplomatic corps and the public, including the Azerbaijani, Turkish, Jewish, Georgian and Iranian communities. American opera singer Demetra George Mustafaoglu performed the Azerbaijani and U.S. hymns at the event.
Speaking at the official ceremony, LA County Sheriff Leroy Baca congratulated the participants and spoke warmly about his recent trip to Baku. He praised Azerbaijan's pace of development under President Ilham Aliyev. Baca also expressed hope for an early peaceful settlement to the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which would help Armenia in both its regional integration and its normalization of relations with neighboring states. He also noted the importance of returning IDPs to their homes in the near future.
LA City Council President Jan Perry presented a proclamation on the occasion of Republic Day signed by LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the council. In turn, LA County Protocol Office head Lourdes Saab read a statement highlighting the Azerbaijani musical concerts held in 2009, which he said play an important role in strengthening cultural ties between the two countries.
Monterey City Council member Nancy Selfridge also presented a proclamation on behalf of the Monterey mayor.
Speaking at the event, Beverly Hills Mayor Jimmy Delshad shared his impressions from his visit to Azerbaijan in 2008 with guests.
Official greetings were also received from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Speaking at the reception, Consul General Elin Suleymanov said Azerbaijan remains committed to the principles of equality, tolerance and openness established by the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. He then presented awards of appreciation on behalf of the Consulate General. Thus, City Hall Protocol Office Head Elga Sharpe and representative of the consular corps Wendy Wagner were awarded for the support given to the consular corps in Los Angeles. Awards were also presented to activists of the Jewish community, which played a major role in establishing friendly relations with Azerbaijan, Michael Tushin and Dr. Robert Matt. In his speech Tushin said Azerbaijan is an example of tolerance, noting that the country's experience gives him hope for a peaceful future and coexistence in the Middle East.
Letters of thanks were presented AzerTag correspondent in the U.S. Shafag Mehraliyeva for her contribution to the strengthening of friendly relations between the Azerbaijani and American peoples, as well as to Consul Elman Abdullayev and Vice-Consul Elshan Baloglanov for their role in establishing the first diplomatic mission of Azerbaijan in the western region of the United States.
Leader of the Turkish community Mehmet Mustafaoglu was gifted a collection of tracks of the Karabakh music masters prepared by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
National Artist of Azerbaijan Chingiz Sadikhov also spoke to the event. The maestro was recently awarded the Order of Shohret by President Ilham Aliyev for his merits in the development of the Azerbaijani music.
The Strunz and Farah group performed at the vent and honored artist of Azerbaijan Namus Zohrabov and Aliya Zohrabova performed folk dances. The receiving was completed with the dance program for guests.
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