Mehriban Aliyeva presented with Golden Heart International Award

Mehriban Aliyeva, First Lady of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, UNESCO and ISESCO Goodwill Ambassador, deputy of the Milli Majlis, was presented with the high award - Golden Heart International Award for wide-scale charitable activity and high achievements in field of service to the higher ideals of mankind.

Arriving on May 27 at the Moscow Musical Theater after Stanislavskiy and Nemirovich-Danchenko Mrs Mehriban Aliyeva first met with famous Italian actress, patroness of the ceremony Sophia Loren who congratulated the First Lady of Azerbaijan on being presented with the award.

Then, the forth presentation ceremony of the Golden Heart International Award took place. The ceremony was opened by Sophia Loren. Mrs Mehriban Aliyeva received a Golden Heart Award - statuette and honor badge of the Golden Heart International Award Laureate by Sophia Loren, chairman of the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Sergey Mironov and Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Igor Ivanov.

Presenting the award to the First Lady of Azerbaijan S.Mironov noted that he is well aware of Mehriban Aliyev’s activity as President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, saying “such kind and golden hearts bring good to the people and world”.

Expressing gratitude MRS MEHRIBAN ALIYEVA said:

Thank You so much for the award and warm words said about me.

Thank You very much for insistently calling for the mercy in our complicated time. I think good deeds of all your laureates and nominees are the call for charity so that we could compassionate and share the pain of those who are near and in need of our help.

I wish there would be more and more winners of this award every year, and more good deeds all over the world, while at least a bit less pain and sufferings. Golden Heart unites different people from various countries and professions around a single universal and eternal idea of good.

Thank You very much for this great and generous work.

Azeri First Lady’s awarding was preceded by demonstration of the documentary on the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. The film narrated on Mehriban Aliyeva’s activity, large-scale culture and health projects as well as help provided to the ill children, orphans and children from poor families.

Mrs Mehriban Aliyeva deserves such a high award since the Foundation headed by her does enormous works to help ill children, organizer of the event, head of the organizing committee of the Golden Heart Charity Foundation, doctor of medical sciences Yakov Brand told AzerTAg. According to him, the activity of the Foundation was thoroughly studied before it was decided to present M. Aliyeva with the Golden Heart Award. The concrete deeds on the program related to the fight against diabetes, thalassemia, tuberculosis, and help to the homeless children and disabled persons were highly assessed.

Message of congratulations by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin was read out at the award-giving ceremony.

Golden Heart International Award is yearly held due to the support of the Russian Red Cross, Golden Heart Charity Foundation, ITAR TASS Information Agency, the Government of the Russian Federation, the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Moscow City Government, Commission on UNESCO Affairs of Russia. This year’s nominees include 11-year-olds Olga Kozlova and Dmitriy Filushin who saved the children from the fire, the family of Sorokins who adopted over 60 children and a number of other organizations and persons.

The money raised from the presentation ceremony and gala concert of famous Russian stars will go to the charitable program “Line of Life”.

The event was attended by Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation Polad Bulbul oglu, Heydar Aliyev Foundation’s representative in Russia Leyla Aliyeva, deputy mayor of Moscow Ludmila Shvetsova, head of the Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations Sergey Shoigu, popular singer, deputy of Gosduma Iosif Kobzon, prominent representatives of the Russian political elite, businessmen, men of science and culture.