On 10 May 2018 a concert dedicated to Serbian-Azerbaijani friendship and the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic, organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Serbia, was held at the National Theatre and the Cultural Centre of Azerbaijan in Belgrade. The concert showcased masterpieces by Azerbaijani and Serbian composers, as well as other classical composers. In addition to the top musicians from Azerbaijan – Ayyub Guliyev, the winner of international competitions, the conductor of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre; Ramiz Guliyev, folk artist, professor, prominent musician on the folk instrument tar (a bowstring instrument whose craftsmanship and performance art are characteristic for Azerbaijani music tradition, part of the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2012); and Afag Abbasova-Budagova, soloist with the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre – performers also included the principal artists of the Belgrade Opera, Prima Donna Jasmina Trumbetaš Petrović and bass-baritone Aleksandar Stamatović. The Belgrade premiere of the Piano Concerto by Azerbaijani composer Fikret Amirov was performed by pianist Mina Ristić, a Ph.D. student at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, with Ayyub Guliyev conducting the National Theatre orchestra.
