On May 30, Nizami Ganjavi Institute of Literature of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) held an international scientific conference dedicated to the work of the prominent Turkmen poet Mahtimgulu Faragi.
First, the Mahtimgulu Faraqi and Turkmen Literature Center was opened at the Institute of Literature after Nizami Ganjavi.
In the center, an exhibition was set up displaying the flags of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, pictures of prominent state and political figures of the two countries, as well as books by Mahtimgulu Faraqi and other Turkmen thinkers.
Academician Isa Habibbeyli, the President of ANAS, with the participation of the President of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan and the Ambassador of the brotherly country to Azerbaijan, evaluated the opening of such a Center as a historical event and emphasized that the Center will contribute to the further strengthening of our friendship and brotherhood. He said that important works will be carried out in the Center in the direction of researching Turkmen literature.
Later, the conference participants got acquainted with the exhibition of books dedicated to Mahtimgulu Faraqi.
Academician Isa Habibbeyli, the president of ANAS, who opened the international scientific conference, spoke about the development of Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan scientific and literary relations and said that the historical roots, culture, language, and literature of the two countries are close to each other.
Academician Isa Habibbayli said that the powerful poet of the Turkmen people, Mahtimgulu Faragi, is the pinnacle of Turkmen literature. He dominated the thought of the Turkmen people with his poems written in a simple vernacular language and based on the traditions of folk literature. The unity, solidarity, and statehood of the Turkmen people in the 18th century are widely reflected in the writer's works.
Academic Isa Habibbeyli stated that Mahtimgulu Faragi's creations have been published several times in Azerbaijan and that our nation has hosted a number of events honouring his artistic vision. The Institute of Literature released "Divan," which is a collection of some of the Turkmen poet's works, in our language for the first time, as he also pointed out.
The president of Turkmenistan's Academy of Sciences participated in today's event, which the head of ANAS evaluated at the end of his address as an example of scientific collaboration. He gave the President of the Turkmenistan Academy of Sciences and the visitors who were Turkmens the recently released books written by Mahtimgulu Faragi.
Then, the President of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan, Professor Allaberdi Ashirov, spoke about the friendly and brotherly relations between the two nations and expressed his confidence that this event will contribute to the development of literary relations.
Prof. Allaberdi Ashirov, who appreciated the work done in Azerbaijan, especially in the field of publication and promotion of Mahtimgulu Faragi's work at the Literary Institute named after Nizami Ganjavi, said that the memory of the poet is remembered with infinite respect in the country.
The President of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan emphasized that Mahtimgulu Faragi's connection with Azerbaijani literature has always attracted attention. His poem "There are meadows" is dedicated to Azerbaijan. In his poems, the poet repeatedly mentioned the names of prominent Azerbaijani poets - N. Ganjavi, I. Nasimi, M. Fuzuli.
During his speech at the ceremony, Turkmenistan's ambassador to Azerbaijan, Gurbanmammet Elyasov, expressed gratitude to ANAS management for their high-level event organisation and for highlighting Mahtimgulu Faraqi's efforts in Azerbaijan. The envoy stated that the meeting today exemplified the spiritual qualities of the richly traditional and ancient Turkmen and Azerbaijani peoples.
According to Gurbanmammet Elyasov, Mahtimgulu represents friendliness and fraternity in both the political and social realms of our nations. He travelled across Azerbaijan, the homeland of the Turkic people, and wrote poetry to convey his profound love for this nation.
The themes of "Peculiarities of Mahtimgulu Faraqi and Molla Panah Vagif's poetry," "Mahtimgulu Faragi's poem creativity," and "Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan literary relations in the research of scholars of the Institute of Literature" were also discussed during the international conference.
