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Azerbaijanâ€™s Khojaly and Czech Lidice towns to sign twinning protocol

22 February 2010 10:12 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. On February 26, authorities of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly and Lidice town of Czech Republic will sign a twinning protocol, press service of the Azerbaijan State Committee for Diaspora Activities told APA. Prague-based Azeri-Czech Society Elshan Nazarov said it would be signed at a ceremony to be held in the Lidice Memorial Complex in commemoration of 18th anniversary of Khojaly tragedy. The ceremony will be organized by the Azeri-Czech Society under auspices of the Azerbaijan State Committee for Diaspora Activities and Azerbaijani embassy in Czech Republic. Heydar Aliyev Foundation will present photo-exhibition at the Lidice Museum on same day, Czech analyst Helena Masnikova will make report on Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno Karabakh conflict and a documentary about the Khojaly tragedy will be shown at the ceremony. Czech Minister of Culture Vaclav Riedlbauch, representatives of the Czech parliament, as well as foreign diplomats accredited in Czech Republic, members of Azerbaijani parliament, officials of the Azerbaijan State Committee for Diaspora Activities, authorities of Khojaly town, representatives of Azerbaijani Diaspora in Czech Republic and other guests will attend the event.
According to the decision of Lidice authorities, one of the streets of the town will be named after Khojaly. Head of the Lidice municipality Josef Klima presented the official decision to the Azeri-Czech Society recently.

Lidice was destroyed by Nazi Germany in 1942 and population of the town faced with a terror. Similarity between Khojaly and Lidice tragedies caused three-month series of events dedicated to 15th anniversary of Khojaly tragedy on February 26, 2007 at the Lidice Museum and Memorial Complex.