The Flame first touched down in the Azerbaijani capital on Satko Pier, to where it had travelled by boat from the Oil Rocks production facility in the Caspian Sea, escorted by oil worker Nahid Nuriyev.
Nuriyev then passed the Flame to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, who led the Torch along the Baku Boulevard. Azerbaijan’s First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva also attended the Baku journey of the flame.
The Flame was initially captured by Aliyev in Baku’s Ateshgah temple on April 26, and has since undertaken a six-week tour of Azerbaijan, involving 750,000 spectators eagerly anticipating the coming together of Europe’s 50 sporting nations in a historic moment for the country and the whole continent.
During that time, it has visited 60 regions of the country prior to its arrival in Baku, passing within one hour of 99 per cent of the country’s population, it is claimed.
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