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August 25, 2014

“Mehriban Aliyeva: A person who turns grief into joy”

Pakistan’s influential English-language “Pakistan Observer” newspaper, “DNA News” Information Agency and “Centreline” magazine   published an article by well-known journalist Hamid Shahin entitled “Mehriban Aliyeva: A person who turns grief into joy”.


According to the information, H.Shahin, in his article, having mentioned that Azerbaijan’s First Lady, MP, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, UNESCO and ISESCO Goodwill Ambassador Mehriban Aliyeva was among rare personalities that devote their life to peoples’ well-being, said that, grown up in an educated family, Mehriban Aliyeva learned from her parents to approach human values with respect, and love poetry, culture and music.


In the article, it is noted that her charitable activity Mehriban Aliyeva started in 1995 with promotion of the Azerbaijani culture through the Friends of Azerbaijani Culture Foundation. It was informed that, after being appointed, May 10, 2004, to the office of president of the Foundation named after national leader Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva extended this activity further.


It is stated in the article that the sphere of culture was one of the priority directions in the activities of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, and information is given about the works done, newly constructed Mugham Centre, concert halls, music lycées, days of mugham in Niagara, Gabala Music Festival, performances of music compositions by Vivaldi and Gershwin, and publications about the culture of Azerbaijan.


Saying also that one of the priority directions of the Foundation’s activitiy was solution of child issues, H.Shahin underscored that this organization has built schools, hospitals and a Thalassemia Centre meeting high standards. In the article, it is stated that, following Mehriban Aliyeva’s initiative, children and elderly’s homes in a number of countries are provided material and moral support, summer camps arranged to ensure disabled children’s integration into the society, and programmes on blood-giving and  distribution of insulin are implemented.


Stating that representatives of all religions are living in harmony in Azerbaijan, the journalist emphasized that Azerbaijan’s First Lady has been the initiator of a  number of international conferences held on the theme of interreligious dialogue. Mehriban Aliyeva was the initiator and executor of reconstruction and restoration of a number of Muslim, Catholic and Orthodox religious temples within the framework of the programme "Azerbaijan: A Land of Tolerance". Moreover, having given comprehensive information about the works done by Mehriban Aliyeva towards preserving the world heritage, the journalist mentioned the restoration of the Strasbourg Cathedral, foundation of the Islamic Culture Centre in the Louvre Museum and repair works at the Versailles Palace by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.


The article also states that Mehriban Aliyeva was awarded the title of UNESCO goodwill ambassador for the development of folk literature and music heritage, and ISESCO goodwill ambassador for her large-scale activity in various spheres of life.


In the article, it is also noted that  the Foundation provides special support to sports, and due to the prestige of Mehriban Aliyeva – the President of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation - world championships for gymnastics of 2003, 2004 and 2005 were held in Baku.


Informing of Mehriban Aliyeva’s leading the holding of Eurovision-2012 Song Contest, Europe’s most respected music contest, in Baku, the journalist noted that numerous guests of Azerbaijan, along with getting acquainted with Azerbaijan’s hospitality, were very much satisfied with the high-level organization of the Contest,  and emphasized that they were amazed by the beauty of Baku.


Essential part of his article H.Shahin devoted to projects implemented in Pakistan at the initiative and with the support of Azerbaijan’s First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva. It was informed that a girls school was built in 2007 by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in Muzaffarabad city, which had been damaged by an earthquake, and in 2012, after basic reconstruction and repair works  at the school, it was named after Mehriban Aliyeva.


The author noted that a number of projects were implemented in Pakistan in 2012-1013 in the healthcare, education and humanitarian spheres  following the initiative of Azerbaijan’s First Lady. He mentioned that vaccination and examinations against Hepatitis B have been conducted at “Edhi Home” Orphanage, “Akbar Care” Institution, “Cerebral Palsy” Clinic, and “Lakki Marwat” Children and Woman Hospital, and support was provided to Saif Foundation.


Then, the author underscores that  at a ceremony devoted to the World Donors Days in the city of Peshawar, Azerbaijan’s First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva presented Suzuki model ambulance provided with a special blood-transfusion laboratory and thousands of blood-transfusion packages to the Hamza Charitable Foundation, which is dealing with treatment of blood diseases. At the same time, it was emphasized that the Heydar Aliyev Foundation has, within the  frameworks of humanitarian projects programme implemented in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, provided material support for the construction of a new building and waiting rooms for the Eye Institute operating under the Khyber Eye Foundation.


It is also stated in the article about arranging  Iftar tables for orphans and the elderly in all provinces of Pakistan during Ramadan month at the initiative and with the support of Mehriban Aliyeva, as well as cutting hundreds of cattle and distributing to low-income strata of the population on the occasion of the Gurban Bayram in the region of Lakki Marwat, and earthquake-damaged Balujistan, Lahore, Islamabad and Faisalabad cities.


In 2014, at the initiative and with the support of Mehriban Aliyeva, the project “Heydar Aliyev and Water Supply” was implemented in the Dera Ismail Khan district, and as a result, tens of thousands of people living on the territory were supplied with drinking water.


H.Shahin, at the same time, emphasized that Mehriban Aliyeva has been conferred on orders and medals of a number of states for the works she has done towards preserving the world cultural heritage. He has mentioned that the “Martyr Benazir Bhutto” Award and “Symbol of Humanism. The Woman of 2012” Award by Daily Times Newspaper and   “Voluntary Women Organization” were among   these awards.


The article is concluded with the words “Without doubt, Mehriban Aliyeva’s activity in Pakistan serves to strengthening of the relations between the two brotherly countries further”. 


http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=250621

 

http://dnanews.com.pk/?s=Mehriban+Aliyeva+

 

http://centreline.com.pk/?p=4294