The III International Turkological Congress on the topic “National Identity and Cultural Heritage in the Turkic World” is held at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, on the occasion of declaring the Shusha city as the “Cultural Capital of the Islamic World” for the year 2024. The event is jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), ANAS, the Cankiri Karatekin University Institute of Turcology, and the Mukimi Kokand State Pedagogical Institute.
First, the congress participants paid deep tribute to the memory of our National Leader, Heydar Aliyev, at the Alley of Honor and laid flowers at his grave.
The memory of the renowned ophthalmologist-scientist, academician Zarifa Aliyeva, was also honored, and flowers were placed on her grave.
The congress, held at the Presidium building of ANAS, was attended by the President of ANAS, Academician Isa Habibbeyli, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Türkiye to Azerbaijan, Cahit Bağçı, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan Bahrom Ashrafkhanov, representatives from TİKA, rectors and representatives from higher education institutions of Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, as well as employees of scientific institutions and organizations of ANAS.
The President of ANAS Isa Habibbeyli, who opened the congress with a welcoming speech, noted that the event was attended by distinguished scholars from the Turkic world and representatives of higher education institutions. He expressed his pleasure in welcoming the guests in Azerbaijan and the Academy.
Academician Isa Habibbeyli highlighted the historical significance of holding the III International Turkological Congress at ANAS and said that the First Turkological Congress took place in the assembly hall of the Academy from February 26 to March 6, 1926. He emphasized that in this hall, Turkologists and historians from across the Turkic world gathered for ten days to lay the foundations of Turkology. They discussed all aspects, from orthography and a common language for communication to ethnography, literature, history, and philosophy. This is the place where the decisions regarding the transition to a common Latin alphabet were made.
The head of ANAS said that all prominent scholars who participated in the First Turkological Congress became victims of the Stalin regime, but their ideas have never been extinguished, and today’s congress continues their aspirations. “The development of modern Turkology shows that the ideals of the scholars from the First Turkological Congress have continued to guide the field today. The decision made in 1926 at the Congress regarding the transition to the Latin alphabet served the Turkic unity, the integration of Turkic states, and the rapprochement of our peoples. Of course, the Soviet regime did not want this. 98 years later, we hold this conference here and I would like to proudly note that in September of this year, during a meeting organized by the International Turkic Academy in Baku, the 34-letter Latin alphabet was approved”.
Academician Isa Habibbeyli underlined that the 100th anniversary of the First Turkological Congress in 2026 is planned to be celebrated with the broad participation of Turkic states and in recent years, our unity has been strengthening with the participation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Hungary.
Recalling that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev gave important messages about the Turkic world during the inauguration ceremony in the Milli Majlis, Academician Isa Habibbeyli emphasized that it is our duty as scholars to deeply study the Turkic world, to bring scholars together, to work on joint projects, to hold joint conferences, and to convey the importance of Turkic unity to our peoples.
“I consider that the conference held today is of great importance as a significant step towards the realization of this great idea. The Organization of Turkic States (OTS) is rapidly developing. Established in 2009 in Nakhchivan as the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, this large organization has developed over 15 years into the Organization of Turkic States. The heads of the countries attach great importance to this area. The OTS is now recognized as an important organization worldwide. Today, International Organization of Turkic Culture (TÜRKSOY), the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TÜRKPA), the International Turkic Academy, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, the Council of Elders, and other institutions of the organization continue their activities successfully”- said Academician Isa Habibbeyli.
The President of ANAS said that the National Leader Heydar Aliyev’s “One nation, two states” model made a great contribution to the unity of the Turkic world. He noted that the idea of two states has now expanded to six, and it is our duty to further broaden this circle. The academician underlined that the Türkiye-Azerbaijan unity model has, over time, become a driving force for the unity and solidarity of the Turkic world: “Today, we can easily see that brotherly Uzbekistan has made a significant contribution to Turkic unity, Kazakhstan holds an important place in it, and Kyrgyzstan actively participates in it. One of the greatest achievements is that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is also advancing and developing towards the Turkic world by participating in important events held in Azerbaijan. The participation of Hungary in the Organization of Turkic States is of great significance. Together with you, we will never spare our efforts in this direction, providing scientific support to strengthen this great Turkic family”.
Academician Isa Habibbeyli said that the materials of the congress have already been published and that the book contains articles from nearly 100 scholars from the Turkic world. He also noted that the event was held with financial support from TİKA and that the rector of the youngest higher education institution in Azerbaijan, Garabagh University, also participated in the congress.
Highly praising the works of the distinguished scholars who contributed to the Turkic world and participated in the congress, the academician noted that the event would make a significant contribution to the scientific integration of the Turkic world and to the solidarity and brotherhood of its scholars.
The Ambassador of Türkiye to Azerbaijan, Cahit Bağçı, emphasized that the brotherly country attaches great importance to this event and participates at the highest level. He noted that more than half of the 208 universities currently operating in Türkiye conduct research on Turkology, studying the history, literature, language, folklore, ethnography, and prominent figures of the Turkic world. Important projects related to the Turkic world are carried out with the support of TÜBA, TÜBİTAK, and TIKA, with research being conducted in every field. The ambassador stated that Türkiye would provide all necessary support for the 100th anniversary of the First Turkological Congress in 2026 to be held at the highest level.
The ambassador of Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan Bahrom Ashrafkhanov stated that holding the III International Turkological Congress, which serves for the unity of the Turkic world, is of special importance in the current geological environment. He also emphasized that Uzbekistan has always supported the economic, political, scientific, and cultural unity of the Turkic world.
The event also featured speeches by several scientists, participating in the congress. They all emphasized that holding the III International Turkological Congress has historical significance and that the event would contribute to the preservation and promotion of our national identity, strengthening our unity and solidarity and highlighted the great responsibility of our scholars in this regard.
After the speeches, Academician Isa Habibbeyli presented the guests with volumes of the first Latin-script translation manuscript of Mahmud Kashgari’s “Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk”, published by the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics of ANAS, which was discovered 86 years later and belonged to Khalid Said Khodjayev, a victim of repression, Uzbek-origin Turkologist.
The III International Turkological Congress continued its work with section meetings at the Central Scientific Library of ANAS.
It should be noted that, the congress will conclude on December 4.
