The first-ever Music Forum in Azerbaijan to mark the 100th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev has today kicked off at the Gulustan Palace in Baku.

The opening ceremony of the Forum, co-organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Culture, was attended by Head of the Humanitarian Policy, Diaspora, Multiculturalism and Religious Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Farah Aliyeva, MPs of the Milli Majlis, as well as renowned figures of culture and art.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Azerbaijan's Minister of Culture Adil Karimli described culture, especially art, as the true carrier of national identity like language. Noting that Azerbaijan has a very rich music legacy, the minister underlined that National Leader Heydar Aliyev has always paid special attention to Azerbaijani culture and art. "Musicians, culture and art figures were always surrounded by the Great Leader's care," he added.