Dr Shirin Melikova, Director of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum was awarded the Knight of the Order of the Arts and the Letters (Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) of France

Embassy of France in Azerbaijan organized an event on the occasion of Dr Shirin Melikova’s awarding the Knight of the Order of the Arts and the Letters (Ordre des Arts et des Lettres).
Zacharie Gross, Ambassador of France to Azerbaijan spoke about efforts made by Dr Melikova to enhance the cultural relations between our countries. Ambassador noted that Sh. Melikova is a curator of 20 exhibitions and the author of 11 monographs and articles. “She is also the specialist on the oriental carpet weaving art. Since 2016 she has led one of the most outstanding museums in Baku. Not so long ago she participated in the realization of the important exhibition held within the framework of cooperation with the Embassy of France," he added. Z. Gross also stressed that people like Sh. Melikova undertakes considerable work to instill love to the arts in the current and future generations. Ambassador thanked Dr. Melikova for her efforts to develop cultural relations and presented her the Order.
Shirin Melikova expressed her gratitude to Zacharie Gross for awarding her with the Order of the Arts and the Letters. She noted, “Thanks to the invaluable contributions of President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, Azerbaijani-French relations are developing on a high level. With the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, cultural events are held in various cities of France, and this has already become a good tradition. The Embassy of France in Azerbaijan introduces the French culture to our people and often organizes different events. In 2012, new halls displaying the splendid collection of Islamic Art opened at Louvre Museum with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. The collection includes rare samples of Azerbaijani cultural heritage, as well as the Azerbaijani carpets. Three Azerbaijani carpets of the 18th-19th centuries among those invaluable art pieces were on display at the ANCM during the exhibition Azerbaijan Heritage in Louvre Museum held within the framework of the 43rd Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 2019”. Sh. Melikova also emphasized that the Embassy has significant contributions to strengthening the cultural relations between our countries. She said that French people always highly appreciated Azerbaijani carpets, some of them are now preserved in French museums and private collections.
At the end of the event, Shirin Melikova added that the award is a strong impetus for her to expand the cultural relations between Azerbaijan and France and develop mutual cooperation with the French museums.
It should be noted that the Knight of the Order of the Arts and the Letters is awarded to the persons who have significant contributions in the field of arts and literature.