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Vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva paid a visit to the bas-relief of Heydar Aliyev installed on building No.6 in Gorokhovskaya Street of Saint-Petersburg, October 29. In 1949-1950, Heydar Aliyev studied at the higher school of the USSR State Security Committee located in this building.

Then Leyla Aliyeva joined the inauguration of an exhibition of People’s Artist of Azerbaijan Rasim Babayev (1927-2007) at the Marble Palace of the Russian Museum.

After the inauguration, Leyla Aliyeva visited, at the invitation of the museum’s management, the grave of Prince Konstantin Romanov, the grandchild of Nicolas the 1^st , at the Russian Museum.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Leyla Aliyeva said: “Azerbaijan and Russia are tied with old and strong friendly relations in political, economic and cultural spheres. Russian literature, Russian theatre, Russian movies and, of course, Russian painting art are very much loved in Azerbaijan. It is a rejoicing fact that Azerbaijani culture is shown interest in Russia, and our culture is so widely and worthily represented here. 120 years have passed since the establishment of the Russian Museum. Rare treasures of culture – works by Alexander Ivanov, Carl Bryullov, Kazimir Malevich and Alexander Brodsky – are displayed here. These works’ being in this Museum testifies to these artists’ rare talent. Today we are presenting works by Rasim Babayev, one of the most talented and striking artists of our time. Rasim Babayev’s  works are preserved at art galleries and in private collections in Russia, USA, Germany, Turkey and Finland. Rasim Babayev had been offered to move to France and work there. But he turned down this offer, as he could not have lived far from Azerbaijan. Patterns of Azerbaijani carpets, stained glass windows of Sheki palaces, as well as folk stories and legends were his source of inspiration. It was this reason that made his works so brilliant, sincere and story-like. A year ago, Rasim Babayev’s  exhibition had been organized at the Eastern Museum in Moscow. The fact that this exhibition was very successful once more shows that there is no religious or national border for a true art. A true art is on the top of a time and place, and is accessible to everyone. I’m sure, this exhibition, opened in Saint-Petersburg - one of the most beautiful cities of the world – will also have success and be interesting for the fine arts amateurs.”

Leyla Aliyeva thanked the organisers of the exhibition and invited the Russian Museum to hold an exhibition in Baku.

Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia Polad Bulbuloghlu, President of the Marjani Scientific and Cultural Programmes Support and Development Foundation Rustam Suleymanov, Chairperson of Saint-Petersburg Government’s Foreign Affairs Committee Yevgeni Grigoryev, Chairperson of the Local Self-government, International and Interdenominational Committee Mikhail Lebedinski delivered a speech at the ceremony.

Then acquaintance with the exhibition started. Up to 80 painting and graphic works taken from the artist’s and the Marcani Foundation’s collections are displayed at the  exhibition to run until November 24.