An International Conference on Turkological Studies Held in Baku

On April 8 of this year, an international conference on Turkological studies dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First Turkological Congress was held at Baku Slavic University.

The conference was attended by Isa Habbibeyli, President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences; Vilayat Guliyev, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Bosnia and Herzegovina; Jala Aliyeva, Deputy Chair of the Committee on Family, Women and Children Affairs of the Milli Majlis and Member of Parliament; as well as rectors of higher education institutions from Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Kazakhstan, members of the delegation led by the Rector of Namangan State University Abdugaffor Kyrgyzboev, and heads of universities and leading scholars from Turkic countries.

The main objective of the conference was to define future directions for the development of Turkological research and to strengthen international scientific cooperation.

In his opening remarks, Rector of Baku Slavic University Anar Nagiyev stated that the conference serves to comprehensively study the processes taking place in the Turkic world not only from the perspective of linguistics and literature, but also from the standpoint of international relations and political sciences.

“Although 100 years have passed since the First Turkological Congress, Baku still remains one of the key platforms where Turkological issues are discussed. This once again confirms the importance of Baku in the academic environment,” said Anar Nagiyev.

Isa Habbibeyli emphasized in his speech that the First Turkological Congress held in Baku in 1926 has historical significance. According to him, the congress entered world scientific history as the first authoritative international academic platform that demonstrated the unity and solidarity of Turkic peoples.

“The main significance of the congress lies in the fact that it became the first authoritative scientific platform demonstrating the unity and solidarity of Turkic peoples and defining their future tasks. Another important aspect of the congress is the determination of the geographical boundaries of the Turkic world. The 131 participants represented a vast area covering almost the entire Eurasian region,” said Isa Habbibeyli.

In his speech, Rector of Namangan State University Abdugaffor Kyrgyzboev highlighted the role of the Turkological Congress in bringing Turkic peoples closer together, as well as the growing cooperation between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan in recent years. He noted that the conference once again demonstrates the unity and solidarity of Turkic peoples, stating: “We are one nation consisting of six peoples. We must continue the noble work initiated by our ancestors — the Jadids.”

This international conference contributes to the development of scientific research in Turkology, the strengthening of academic ties between Turkic states, and the elevation of mutual cooperation to a new level, which gives it particular significance.