A new building of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Italian Republic has opened in Rome.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the inauguration.
The head of state first planted a tree in the front yard of the Embassy.
President Ilham Aliyev then cut the ribbon, symbolizing the opening of the new building.
Then the Azerbaijani President viewed the conditions created in the new building.
Anar Alakbarov, Assistant to President and Mammad Ahmadzade, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Italy informed the head of state of the conditions created across the premises.
During a state visit to Italy in February 2020, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva reviewed this property designated as the Embassy and the Azerbaijani Culture Center in Rome and gave instructions and recommendations regarding the major renovation of the building.
It was noted that the building, built in the 1940s, is located at 27 Via Giovanni Battista De Rossi in Nomentano-Villa Torlonia, an area housing diplomatic missions.
The first and second floors of the building will serve as the Azerbaijan Culture Center, and the third to fifth floors will house the Embassy.
Opening the Azerbaijan Culture Center in Rome, a city with rich world historical heritage, is one of the essential steps to promoting the country. It promotes Azerbaijan, which is considered the cradle of multiculturalism in the world. Italy holds a special place among countries where the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, led by First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, has implemented important measures to promote Azerbaijan globally. The opening of the Azerbaijan Culture Center in Rome will usher in ample opportunities to promote the country's rich historical and cultural heritage and facilitate practical activities between Azerbaijan and Italy in the fields of culture, science, education, and humanitarian affairs.
The state symbols of Azerbaijan, and elements of national crafts, including the “Shabaka”, were used in the interior design of the Culture Center. Exhibits reflecting the history of Azerbaijan are displayed in various exhibition halls of the center. All the exhibits, including ancient weapons, copper products, samples of carpet art, jewelry and ornaments, national clothes and accessories, attest to Azerbaijan's ancient and rich history and culture. The Center has all the amenities for hosting various events and meetings.
Azerbaijani carpets are among the most valuable exhibits in the center. Various ancient carpets and carpet products are exhibited in the center, which features examples of different national carpet-making schools. Italian-language information about Azerbaijani carpet weaving schools' history and course of development are also available. In addition, detailed information is available on Azerbaijani miniatures, the art of painting - the school of miniatures – that has evolved in Azerbaijan since ancient times. National costumes of Azerbaijan are also displayed at the center, featuring jewelry and various decorations, examples of different directions of folk art and wood carving.
Also displayed at the Azerbaijan Culture Center are books on Azerbaijan's culture, art, crafts, rock paintings, miniature art, national music, jewelry and carpets. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation has published books in Italian. Books on Azerbaijan's history, culture, literature and foreign policy published in Italy recently are also on display at the center.
President Ilham Aliyev also reviewed the art exhibition “My Azerbaijan” organized during the center’s opening. Rare examples of Azerbaijani visual art, from realism to modernism and postmodernism, are displayed in the exhibition.
The Center also has a room fitted with special equipment for conducting online classes and teaching the Azerbaijani language within scientific and educational exchanges between the two countries. There is also much space for the promotion of Azerbaijani music. An exhibition of ancient Azerbaijani musical instruments has been organized, and a corner with CDs and publications in Italian about all national musical genres has been created. In addition, the Center has facilities for cooking samples of Azerbaijan's national cuisine and holding relevant master classes and training.
All conditions for activities have been created in the office rooms of the building intended for the Embassy.
Photo exhibitions about the most important moments of Azerbaijan-Italy relations, the visits of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan to liberated territories and books about Azerbaijan published in Italy are displayed in the meeting rooms.
On the fifth floor of the building, there is a large terrace for functions, which commands a splendid view of the city of Rome.
In the courtyard of the Embassy building, models of the “Khari bulbul” flower (Ophrys Caucasica) created by winners of the “Khari bulbul” international art festival are displayed.
