Baku: The Belarusian president's special prize, Slavic Hope, was presented to Nafisa Akiyeva from Azerbaijan, a participant of the international song contest Vitebsk 2026, by Deputy Prime Minister and chairperson of the organizing committee for the Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk festival, Natalya Petkevich.

According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the deputy prime minister emphasized the significance of the festival and expressed gratitude to the Belarusian president for sustaining and elevating it over the past 35 years. She highlighted the festival's role in providing a platform for pop singers and a convergence point for various art forms. Petkevich expressed her hopes for the festival's continued legacy and future anniversaries, envisioning a gathering of the same community in the years to come.