The Indonesian Cultural Festival has kicked off in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku with a solemn opening ceremony at Heydar Aliyev Palace. Participants of the event first viewed an exhibition highlighting Indonesia`s national culture.

Axar.az reports citing Azertag.

Addressing the ceremony, Indonesian ambassador Husnan Bey Fanani hailed cultural relations between Azerbaijan and Indonesia. He said the festival coincides with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. The ambassador praised bilateral political and economic ties.

He expressed his confidence that the festival will play the role of a bridge in uniting efforts in order to strengthen cooperation between Indonesia and Azerbaijan.

Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Adalat Valiyev said the festival is a good opportunity for Azerbaijanis to familiarize themselves with Indonesia`s rich, colorful culture.

He hailed Indonesia`s supporting Azerbaijan`s just position on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Deputy chair of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs Fuad Huseynov highlighted the causes and consequences of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The ceremony also featured performance from famous Indonesian jazz musician Dwiki Dharmawan, Indonesian traditional dances from Azerbaijani college students and Indonesian professional dancers.

The second day of the festival will be held at the seaside boulevard as a funwalk program and also feature an open-air performance on the stage.