On June 28, inauguration of a photo-exhibition entitled “Reza’s Inner Odyssey” took place at the Heydar Aliyev Center.

Jointly arranged by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Embassy of the French Republic in Azerbaijan and the French Institute in Azerbaijan, the exhibition is devoted to the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties between Azerbaijan and France.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, director of the international relations department of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, head of the working team on Azerbaijan-France interparliamentary relations Soltan Mammadov underscored a few points that heightened both the moral and political significance of the exhibition. It was noted that the history of the relations between the two countries and their current potential testified to the existence of great possibilities for the development perspective of the bilateral relations in future. The ambassador of France was the second diplomat to start a diplomatic activity in Azerbaijan after the Turkish ambassador. In his speech, Soltan Mammadov emphasized that national leader Heydar Aliyev, after being elected president in 1993, and President Ilham Aliyev in 2003, made their first foreign visits to France, which are an obvious example of what importance the country has been attaching to the relations between Azerbaijan and France.

He mentioned that world-renowned photographer Reza Deghati was an artist who has copied the events that had occurred thirty years ago on the occupied territories, as well as the development works carried out after the liberation of these lands into a photographic memory. Reza Deghati conveys these works also to the world society.

Ambassador of France to Azerbaijan Zacharie Gross said, in his speech, that after Azerbaijan restored its state independence, the relations between the two countries have advanced. He underscored that the current relations between the two countries in political, economic and scientific areas were strong, relying on trust. The ambassador thanked all who contributed to the organization of the exhibition.

In his speech, Reza Deghati said that he has been engaged in photographing since he was 13, noting that in the countries he has travelled so far, he has witnessed how people suffered from wars. He said he thinks he is not only a photo-journalist, but also an advocate of peace.

Reza Deghati said that today, bringing together France and Azerbaijan trough this exhibition was a very significant theme. Underscoring that he was of an Azerbaijani descent, Reza Deghati said he very well knew the people of France. He said he wanted to show, through this exhibition, both to Azerbaijanis and the French, that these two countries had a lot in common, and that this exhibition was a kind of a bridge.

Then, attendees of the event became familiar with the exhibition.

Photos taken by Reza Deghati during his visits to Azerbaijan and France in different years are displayed at the exhibition. These artworks invite the visitors to undertake a poetic and sensitive trip to Azerbaijan and France.

To date, Reza Deghati has undertaken trips to over 100 countries. His works were included in books, exhibitions, National Geographic magazine, as well as other international media.

Photos by the well-known photographer were also displayed in a number of other projects held on the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. Artworks by Reza Deghati were shown in Paris, at the headquarters of UNESCO, in Moscow, at the UN headquarters in New York, and at the European Parliament in Brussels.

The photo-exhibition “Reza’s Inner Odyssey” will continue until July 27.