Memory of legendary hero Mehdi Huseynzade honored in Slovenia
Vienna, May 21, AZERTAC
A commemorative event dedicated to the memory of the brave son of the Azerbaijani and Slovenian peoples, the legendary hero Mehdi Huseynzade, known as Mikhaylo, was held in the city of Nova Gorica, Slovenia.
An exhibition dedicated to Mehdi Huseynzade was also displayed during the event organized by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Slovenia.
The opening ceremony took place in the settlement of Šempas in Nova Gorica, where Mehdi Huseynzade’s monument and memorial museum are located. Participants laid wreaths at the monument erected in honor of Azerbaijan’s heroic son and visited the museum created in Mikhaylo’s memory. A stone exhibit symbolizing the friendship between the two peoples and Mehdi Huseynzade’s legacy, created by a local sculptor, was gifted to the museum.
After the national anthems of Azerbaijan and Slovenia were played, speeches were delivered by Rafael Huseynov, Deputy Speaker of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis; Rovshan Sadigbayli, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Slovenia; Martin Premk, Member of the Slovenian National Assembly; Andrej Kompara, President of the Slovenia-Azerbaijan Friendship Society; and Tomaž Horvat, Deputy Mayor of Nova Gorica.
In their speeches, members of the Azerbaijani delegation expressed gratitude to the Slovenian state and people for revering the memory of Mikhaylo. It was noted that the tradition of Azerbaijani and Slovenian representatives gathering in Nova Gorica to commemorate the legendary partisan Mikhaylo has become a beautiful tradition for many years. The operation of Mehdi Huseynzade’s memorial museum and the constant attention paid to his monument in Slovenia were described as a source of pride for the Azerbaijani people.
Participants were informed that, on the instruction of President Ilham Aliyev, the monument to Mehdi Huseynzade was erected in Šempas in 2007, and the memorial museum was established in 2011.
In his speech, Deputy Speaker of the Milli Majlis Rafael Huseynov stated that during World War II, along with Mehdi Huseynzade, other Azerbaijanis also fought in these territories and contributed to victory. He provided information about conducted research and emphasized that the friendship and brotherhood between the two peoples rest on solid foundations.
Ambassador Rovshan Sadigbayli noted that the respect shown to Mehdi Huseynzade’s memory in Slovenia serves the development of friendly relations between the two countries. He stressed the importance of passing this heritage on to future generations and expressed confidence that a documentary film about Mehdi Huseynzade, being prepared by one of Slovenia’s leading TV channels “RTV SLO”, will contribute to increasing awareness of Mikhaylo among young people.
Slovenian representatives highlighted the strong friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Slovenia in their speeches and expressed gratitude to the Azerbaijani people for such a heroic son as Mehdi Huseynzade. They noted that Mikhaylo came from distant Azerbaijan to fight for Slovenia’s freedom and sacrificed his life in this cause. It was emphasized that the Mikhaylo phenomenon holds a special place in the friendly relations between the Azerbaijani and Slovenian peoples.
Participants also visited the village of Vitovlje, where Mikhaylo was killed in battle against German Nazis in November 1944, and laid wreaths at the memorial plaque.
Later, the delegation visited Trnovo Memorial Park and laid wreaths at the memorial plaque erected in memory of Azerbaijanis who died in World War II.
Finally, the delegation visited Mehdi Huseynzade’s grave in the settlement of Čepovan, where the hero’s memory was honored with deep respect.
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