Aide to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on socio-political issues Hikmet Hajiyev has received Lithuanian journalists visiting Azerbaijan today. According to the Eurasia Diary, the guests have shared their impressions of the trip and talked about the bitter sight they witnessed. Hikmet Hajiyev has thanked Lithuanian journalists for conveying the truth to the world.
As reported, on March 14, with the organisation of the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF), a group of Lithuanian journalists have visited Baku. The group has had the well-known military journalist Richardas Lapaitis, who has been awarded the Order of Friendship of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as Arunas Sartanavichius and Mantas Bartasavichius.
During the visit, the guests have also been to the IEPF office and met with the President of the IEPF Umud Mirzayev. In the meeting, Mirzayev has informed the guests about the Patriotic War.
On March 17, Lithuanian journalists accompanied by IEPF President Umud Mirzayev have paid a visit to the liberated territories. They have visited historical and cultural monuments in Tartar, Aghdam, Fizuli and Jabrayil and have witnessed the terrible consequences of the Armenian aggression.
Lithuanian journalists have met with the head of the Tartar District Executive Power Mustaqim Mammadov. They have been to Sugovushan, Chayli and Gapanli villages. They have also got acquainted with the cleaning work carried out to restore the infrastructure in Sugovushan village. Accompanied by IEPF staff, the journalists have then visited mine-contaminated areas in Sugovushan and inspected demining operations. After that, they have visited the "Maraga 150" monument in Shikharkh settlement. They have been informed about the resettlement of Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh. Meanwhile the foreign guests have visited the IEPF Regional Office. Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, who have been in Armenian captivity for a long time, have been interviewed by the foreign journalists.
During their visit to Aghdam, Lithuanian journalists have visited the Juma Mosque, the ruins of the Imarat Garvand Cemetery and the Bread Museum. Accompanied by IEPF President Umud Mirzayev, they have then visited the "Martyrs' Cemetery" destroyed by Armenians in the Aghdam region. Flowers have been laid at the grave of Azerbaijani National Hero Allahverdi Bagirov.
During the visit to Fizuli, the guests have tripped to the city centre, the street where the former "Araz newspaper" is located, the District Education Centre and to see the ruins of the District House of Culture, Fuzuli Mosque, Fuzuli Park, Mangalanata Heights, Alkhanli, Kurdmahmudlu and Ashagi Abdurrahmanli villages.
Before returning home, Lithuanian journalists have also visited the Alley of Martyrs in Baku. Richardas Lapaitis has laid flowers at the graves of Gultekin Askerova, who died in front of him during the First Karabakh War, as well as the martyr of January 20, Rahim Babayev, whom he befriended.