The Diplomat
At the initiative and organisation of the Embassy of Azerbaijan and as part of the events dedicated to the centenary of the birth of the national leader Heydar Aliyev, last Wednesday the Real Jardín Botánico of Madrid was presented with the flower symbol of Karabakh, Khari Bulbul, brought from Azerbaijan exclusively for this event.
The Azerbaijani ambassador, Ramiz Hasanov, visited the facilities of the Royal Botanical Garden and personally handed over the flower to its director, Esteban Manrique Reol, and its vice-director of Gardens and Trees, María P. Martín.
It is a very symbolic and well-known flower in Azerbaijan,” said the ambassador. It belongs to the family of flowering plants “Ophrys caucasica”. Various types of this orchid can be found in other parts of the Southern Caucasus and Eastern Anatolia. However, this particular flower is endemic to the flora of Azerbaijan and grows mainly in the Karabakh region, specifically in the suburbs of the city of Shusha. Also used as a healing herb, the usual flowering period of the Khari Bulbul coincides with the end of April and May”.
“Experts who have studied this flower say that it differs from other orchids in its elegance and sensitivity. This unique flower represents a rich and distinct biodiversity of Azerbaijan. In Azerbaijani, Khari means bee, and Bulbul translates as nightingale. The name owes its origin to the resemblance of the leaves of the flower to the bee and the nightingale. Many legends and other folklore are dedicated to Khari Bulbul,” said Ambassador Ramiz Hasanov.
“Azerbaijan’s message of peace to the whole world is linked to Khari Bulbul, the Azerbaijani ambassador continued. Khari Bulbul is more than a flower. This flower symbolises resistance, freedom, liberation, joy, culture and art of a whole nation. People call it the flower of Peace and Love”.
Ramiz Hasanov spoke of how this flower became a harbinger of the long-awaited peace, stability and prosperity in the South Caucasus region. He explained that “Khari Bulbul became a symbol of peace and friendship in Azerbaijan, as the 30-year conflict has finally ended in the region and there is a historic opportunity for lasting peace.
On this gift from Azerbaijan to Spain, Ambassador Hasanov stressed that “our bilateral relations with Spain have always been the subject of mutual trust and good understanding. Spain traditionally enjoys a positive image in Azerbaijan. In the last years of the post-pandemic period the level of interaction between our countries in the spheres of economic and political cooperation increased significantly. And today, as a symbol of friendship and cooperation between Azerbaijan and Spain it is a great pleasure to present here Khari Bulbul”.
The gift of this flower, a symbol of peace, has been timed to coincide with the eve of the centenary celebrations of Heydar Aliyev, “a person who dedicated his life to achieving lasting peace in the entire South Caucasus region,” Ambassador Ramiz Hasanov concluded. Along with all his efforts for peace and prosperity of Azerbaijan, the activity of Heydar Aliyev, aimed at turning the Caucasus region into a peaceful zone, will forever remain in our memory. A person whose initiative was to put an end to a war in the early 1990s. As a result of systematic and effective reforms, H. Aliyev turned Azerbaijan’s potential into economic growth, mainly in order for the country to become one of the leading energy suppliers in the region. Today, as a result of these initiatives, such as the “Treaty of the 20th century”, Azerbaijan has a substantive role in the European energy architecture, playing a significant and reliable role in contributing to energy security in its neighbourhood, and mainly in Europe”.
