Deputy Chair of the Culture Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Azerbaijan, member of Parliament, Gunay Afandiyeva, has been awardedd one of Hungary’s highest honors, the 'Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary.'

According to FED.az news agency Gunay Afandiyeva has been endowed with this prestigious award by the President of Hungary, Tamás Sulyok, in recognition of her effective  promotion of Hungarian culture in Azerbaijan and Turkic countries.

The award was presented to Gunay Afandiyeva by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Hungary to Azerbaijan, Tamás Torma, during a reception held on the occasion of Hungary’s National Day—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.”

It should be noted that 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.