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Azerbaijani writer Mohammad Asad Beyâ€™s memorial plaque and bas-relief opened in Berlin

15 September 2008 09:43 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Ulkar Gasimovaâ€“APA. Azerbaijani writer Mohammad Asad Beyâ€™s memorial plaque and bronze bas-relief have been opened in Berlin. Well-known public and political figures of Germany, media representatives, members of Bundestag and Berlin parliament, top officials of Germanyâ€™s Foreign Ministry, Chancellorâ€™s Office and Berlin Senate attended the ceremony organized by the Germany-based Nizami Gandjavi Institute of Azerbaijani Culture. Member of Bundestag, Chairman of the Parliamentâ€™s Caucasian Friendship Group Steffen Reiche spoke about the Asad Beyâ€™s life and creativity in detail, calling him an important figure built first cultural bridge between the East and West, APA reports. German Foreign Ministryâ€™s official for the Caucasian, including Azerbaijani affairs Volfgang Dick, Germanyâ€™s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Per Stanchina and Turkeyâ€™s Consul General in Berlin Ahmet Nazif Alpman also delivered speeches at the ceremony.
Opening the memorial plaque, Director of the Nizami Gandjavi Institute of Azerbaijani Culture Nurida Atashi called Asad Bey as a Europeâ€™s Oriental ashug, whose songs spread from this house at first to Berlin and then to all Germany and all over the world at last. She said Asad Bey wandered thanks to compatriot informers and German fascists. He took refuge in Positano, Italy and died there.
After the ceremony, banquet in Asad Beyâ€™s honor was organized in the Berlin Literature House of Gandjavi Institute. Fragments from the documentary and movie shot by Berlin Um Welt Film studio and dedicated to Asad Bey were shown during a banquet. Azerbaijani artist living in Ukraine Seyfaddin Gurbanov, who sculpted memorial plaque and bas-relief, was awarded with letter of honor and gift by the Gandjavi Institute.