Details added: first version posted on 11:30
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 8. The Azerbaijani Parliament held a conference dedicated to the theme “Strategy for the Development of the Azerbaijani Language as the State Language: Current Situation and Prospects,” Trend reports.
The event was attended by the Speaker of the Parliament, committee chairs and deputies, the President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), the Minister of Science and Education, the Chairman of the Azerbaijan Writers’ Union, the Chairman of the Audiovisual Council, and other officials.
Opening the event with an introductory speech, the Parliament Speaker Sahiba Gafarova welcomed the participants and said that the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, speaking at the event dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences on November 3, paid special attention to the issues of preserving the Azerbaijani language, along with important directions of national development. Those ideas voiced at ANAS impose new tasks on the scientific community, and the knowledge and experience of scientists are of particular importance in the development of language policy.
The speaker noted that the conference aims to outline strategies for safeguarding and advancing the Azerbaijani language, and to determine the relevant responsibilities of parliament, the scientific community and intellectuals.
She also noted that the historic steps taken by Great Leader Heydar Aliyev in the field of protecting Azerbaijani language and elevating it to the level of the state language are undeniable.
The period from 1969 through 1982, when Heydar Aliyev first led Azerbaijan, also entered our national history as a period of cultural renaissance. During that period, the legal foundations for the preservation and development of the people's spiritual wealth, especially their language, were expanded.
It was thanks to the determination of National Leader that in 1978 the Azerbaijani language was given the status of the state language in the Constitution of Azerbaijan.
Gafarova pointed out that Azerbaijani Constitution, prepared and adopted in 1995 under the leadership of the Great Leader, once again established the status of the state language of the Azerbaijani language, forming a solid legal basis for Azerbaijani language policy.
Besides, the Law on the State Language and other normative legal acts have established essential mechanisms for the practical application of Azerbaijani language in the field of management, education, science and information.
Today, the course defined by the National Leader is being consistently continued by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in accordance with the requirements of the modern era. The protection of the Azerbaijani language, the development of literary language norms, and its integration into modern technologies are among the priority directions of state policy.
At the anniversary event of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, the head of state noted: “Preserving the purity of the Azerbaijani language should be the duty of every Azerbaijani citizen.”
This call shows that the issue of language is a national responsibility that falls not only on state bodies but on society as a whole.
The parliament has its own mission in this process because issues such as legislative initiatives, the integration of the language into educational programs, and the updating of scientific terminology are constantly at the center of attention of the Azerbaijani Parliament, and the parliament’s support ensures the consistent and successful implementation of strategic decisions.
The spaeker stated that new tasks arising from the dynamics of the modern world stand before the Azerbaijani language. These tasks include preserving the purity of the language, its digitalization and integration into new technologies, the scientific updating of terminologies, and so on.
An analysis of all these challenges shows that the Azerbaijani language’s step into a new stage of development requires a systematic, long-term, and scientifically grounded approach. Therefore, determining the strategic directions of future language policy is one of the most important tasks.
Speaking about the new stage of language policy, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova noted that among the main goals set are: improving language teaching in education through modern methods and technologies; strengthening compliance with literary language norms in the media and public sphere; standardizing and updating terminology on a broad scientific basis; increasing the prestige of the Azerbaijani language in the global scientific and cultural space; ensuring the full functional application of the Azerbaijani language on digital and technological platforms; and raising the level of integration of our language into artificial intelligence systems.
In her speech, the Speaker once again emphasized that National Leader Heydar Aliyev defined the Azerbaijani language as a fundamental attribute of state independence and turned language policy into an integral part of state ideology.
Today, President Ilham Aliyev is taking this strategic course to a broader, more innovative, and modern stage. The calls he voiced in his address at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences once again show that the Azerbaijani language is not merely a means of communication—it is a mirror of our national memory, a carrier of our spiritual heritage, and the space in which our statehood thinking is formed. The life and development of our language means the life and development of our nation. This language carries the wisdom of centuries, the words of poets, the ideas of thinkers, and the spirit of the nation.
"As long as we protect our language, we'll grow stronger. As we develop this language, we'll consolidate our place in the world more decisively. By safeguarding the future of this language, we are, in fact, safeguarding the future of Azerbaijan," she concluded.
At the event, the Minister of Science and Education Emin Amrullayev, the president of ANAS and chair of the Toponymy Commission, academician Isa Habibbayli, the deputy chair of the Azerbaijani Parliament Rafael Huseynov, the chair of the Union of Azerbaijani Writers, People’s Writer Anar Rzayev, People’s Poet Sabir Rustamkhanli, the director of the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics of ANAS Nadir Mammadli, the Chair of the Audiovisual Council Ismat Sattarov, the committee chairs of the Azerbaijani Parliament – Anar Isgandarov, Siyavush Novruzov, Ali Huseynli, Fazil Mustafa, the deputy chair of a parliamentary committee Jala Aliyeva, MPs – Hikmat Mammadov, Javanshir Feyziyev, Elchin Mirzabayli, Elnara Akimova, as well as the head of department of the Linguistics Institute of ANAS Elchin Ismayilov delivered speeches.
The speeches assessed the ideas voiced by President Ilham Aliyev regarding language policy at the 80th anniversary assembly of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences as fundamental theses defining the future development strategy of the Azerbaijani language.
The speeches also noted that the continuation today by President Ilham Aliyev of the historic policy carried out by National Leader Heydar Aliyev in the field of protecting the Azerbaijani language lays the foundation for a new stage in the development of the state language. They stated that the Azerbaijani language must be protected and developed as an important attribute of statehood and the unity of the people.
Moreover, the speeches emphasized that ensuring the purity of the Azerbaijani language, enriching its vocabulary, and developing its terminological system on scientific grounds have special relevance against the background of modern challenges. In this regard, the systematic implementation of language policy and the active participation of state bodies, scientific and educational institutions, the media, and public institutions in this process are of great importance.
In the speeches, views were expressed on the preservation of the purity of the Azerbaijani language, the correct use of the language in the media, adherence to literary language norms in the official, cultural and business environment, in literature, and in all spheres of public life; improving the quality of Azerbaijani language teaching in the education system and refining its scientific-methodological basis; ANAS’s scientific support for the state language policy; the preparation of the normative framework on scientific grounds and its updating in accordance with contemporary challenges; and the protection of Azerbaijani toponyms. Opinions and proposals were voiced.
Thus, the conference concluded its work.
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