President Ilham Aliyev has addressed the participants of the "Turkic World Week," an event dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First Turkological Congress.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, the text of the President's message was read by Farah Aliyeva, Head of the Humanitarian Policy Department of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan.
In his address, President Ilham Aliyev extended his sincere greetings to the participants, noting that the event's realization fulfills an initiative he proposed during the 12th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States held in Gabala last October.
The President emphasized the symbolic significance of holding the "Turkic World Week" during Azerbaijan's chairmanship of the Organization of Turkic States. He recalled the historic First Turkological Congress, which brought together prominent scholars and researchers at the Ismailiyya Palace in Baku a century ago. The President noted that the congress played a pivotal role in the cultural integration of Turkic peoples, despite the subsequent suppression and repressions faced by its delegates during the Soviet era.
"We can confidently state that the progressive ideas put forward by the First Turkological Congress form the foundation of the projects currently being successfully implemented by the Organization of Turkic States to create a common humanitarian space," President Aliyev stated. He further highlighted that the Turkic world is emerging as a significant geopolitical power center, and Azerbaijan remains committed to strengthening the unity of this family of nations.
The First Turkological Congress, held in 1926 in Baku, remains a landmark event in the history of Turkic studies. It was instrumental in discussing critical issues such as the development of a unified Turkic alphabet, language, history, and literature. Today, the event is recognized as a precursor to modern pan-Turkic cooperation and cultural integration efforts led by the Organization of Turkic States.
