According to Farhad Badalbayli who is the son of Shamsi Badalbayli - a native of the city of Shusha, a famous theater director, and people's artist of Azerbaijan, all Azerbaijanis have a huge and bright love for Shusha [liberated from Armenian occupation in 2020 second Karabakh war] in their hearts.

"The announcement of 2022 in Azerbaijan as the Year of Shusha is a significant event. I express my deep gratitude to the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The city of Shusha has a special place in the heart of every Azerbaijani. President Ilham Aliyev spent his 60th birthday in the city of Shusha,” he said.

“It’s a great happiness to see the city of Shusha free. We are all infinitely grateful to the heroic Azerbaijani army led by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for the joy of the Great Victory given to us, for the liberation of our ancestral lands from occupation,” Badalbayli emphasized.

"We are very happy to be a victorious nation! For about 30 years we walked with our heads down, and now we are victorious, but this also puts on us a huge responsibility. We must work for the good and prosperity of our country," he noted.

According to the musician, after the liberation of the city of Shusha, he went there several times, and every such trip becomes a special, significant event.

"Following the city’s liberation, I made my first visit there together with Polad Bulbuloghlu at the beginning of 2021. We met with the military servicemen, went to Jidir Duzu plain," Badalbayli reminded.

"It was snowy and incredibly beautiful, liberated city of Shusha. It’s impossible to express in words the feelings that I experienced. When I came to Jidir Duzu, I had the feeling of flight," he pointed out. "Then I performed at the grandiose music festival "Kharibulbul", participated in the wonderful Days of Vagif's Poetry, and I hope that soon I will visit the city of Shusha again."

"Every time I go there with a tremble in my heart and soul, and always meet with soldiers and officers - they are the main heroes, liberators of our lands, who achieved the Victory for us," the people's artist said.

Badalbayli stressed that the process of revival is underway in the liberated lands of Azerbaijan - historical and architectural monuments, as well as infrastructure, are being restored.

"Life in the liberated lands is being revived, culture is returning there. My dream is to organize a Summer Academy in the city of Shusha, invite the best professors, outstanding musicians of the world there to teach our students from May to October when perfect weather prevails in Shusha. It would be an educational project, and the students would study from famous masters," he said.

"Of course, 2022 will be very fruitful, in the "Year of Shusha" various significant events in the field of culture and art - festivals, concerts, exhibitions, symposiums and other events will be organized, and various creative projects will be implemented," he noted.

"This year, the first part of the Bulbul International Vocal Competition will be held in Baku, and the concert of the winners will take place in the Bulbul House in Shusha," the people’s artist stressed.

According to him, the brand of the city of Shusha is known all over the world, because during the 44-day Second Karabakh War, the whole world was talking about the city of Shusha, about Karabakh.

"Now we need to enrich this with good achievements in the field of culture and art - painting, cinema and others. For example, a film about the liberation of the city of Shusha, a grandiose action movie at the Hollywood level could be shot. This is our history which will remain for the next generations, and in this sense, cinema is a huge force," concluded Badalbayli.