During the meeting, Sister Raffaella Petrini expressed deep and sincere gratitude to the Azerbaijani state for the projects implemented by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in the Vatican. She highly appreciated First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva’s visits to the Holy See, expressing gratitude for her valuable support in promoting mutual understanding, interfaith dialogue, and the development of cultural ties. She noted that such initiatives foster friendship, mutual understanding, and warm relations among peoples.

First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva thanked the Vatican City State Governorate for the warm reception and attention shown. She invited Sister Raffaella Petrini to make an official visit to Baku, emphasizing the importance of expanding cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Vatican in new directions. Sister Raffaella Petrini warmly accepted the invitation, expressing her intention to visit Azerbaijan in the near future.

The meeting, held in an atmosphere of mutual respect, included an exchange of views on the prospects for practical cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Vatican Governorate in the cultural, religious, and humanitarian fields.

Subsequently, First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva, together with her family members and Sister Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, participated in a tree-planting ceremony in the Vatican Gardens.

The pomegranate tree, a gift from the Azerbaijani side to the Holy See, symbolizes the source of life, family integrity, abundance, and fertility in Azerbaijan. It was mentioned that the pomegranate, which has many useful properties, is widely used in various aspects of the Azerbaijani culture.

The pomegranate tree planted in the Vatican Gardens, which are of great historical, architectural and religious importance, will embody the friendship and cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Holy See.

Expressing her profound gratitude to Mehriban Aliyeva for this valuable gift from the Azerbaijani side, Sister Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, underlined that it will become a crucial symbol of the friendship and cooperation consistently advancing between the two countries.

https://video.azertag.az/en/site/video/277663

https://video.azertag.az/en/site/video/277667