Deputy Chair of the Culture Committee of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan Gunay Afandiyeva has been awarded the 'Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary,' one of the country’s highest honors.
The President of Hungary, Tamás Sulyok, conferred the award in recognition of her significant contributions to promoting Hungarian culture in Azerbaijan and across Turkic nations.
The award was presented by Hungary’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Tamás Torma, during a reception held in celebration of Hungary’s National Day, marking the 68th anniversary of the 1956 Revolution.
In his speech at the award ceremony, Ambassador Tamás Torma stated: “As the founding president of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Gunay Afandiyeva has made significant contributions to the preservation, promotion, and transmission of shared cultural values of Turkic nations to future generations. She has consistently supported Hungary’s involvement in cultural projects. Gunay Afandiyeva organized a memorial event in Baku for Béla Bartók, one of the great composers and ethnomusicologists of the 20th century. Furthermore, thanks to her active support, a book by the renowned Hungarian poet Miklós Radnóti has been published in Azerbaijani.
She played a key role in the publication of several notable Hungarian literary works in Azerbaijani, contributing to the expansion of Hungarian literature available in Azerbaijan. Through her initiative, a group consisting of young women artists from seven Turkic nations, including Hungary, was formed, and this group has successfully performed on stages in the Turkic World, as well as in Europe and America. We are grateful to Gunay Afandiyeva for her dedicated efforts and for the many joint cultural projects she has facilitated.”
From 2015 to 2023, Gunay Afandiyeva served as the president of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, which was established on the initiative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and with the support of the heads of state from Türkiye, Kazakhstan, and the Kyrgyz Republic. Since 2019, Hungary has held observer status within the organization.
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