Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

The next meeting of the Presidium of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences was held.

The event was attended by the President of ANAS, Academician Isa Habibbeyli, members of the Presidium, advisors of ANAS, heads of departments of the Presidium administration, directors of scientific institutions and organizations, as well as other relevant persons.

The meeting was opened with an introductory speech by Academician Isa Habibbeyli, who gave information about the agenda of the event.

The first issue discussed at the meeting was about approval of “The Action Plan of ANAS” in connection with the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, dated December 28, 2024, on declaring 2025 as the “Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty” in Azerbaijan.

Academician Isa Habibbeyli mentioned that this decree would play a significant role in further strengthening our state independence and educating new generations in the spirit of statehood and Azerbaijanism at a historic moment when, under the leadership of Victorious Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan achieved a historic victory in the Patriotic War and fully restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty through anti-terror measures conducted in September 2023.

According to the Academician, the Presidium of ANAS adopted a decision on January 16, 2025 in order to ensure the implementation of the decree of the head of state. The decision tasked the Division of Humanitarian Sciences and Division of Social Sciences of ANAS with submitting their relevant proposals for the preparation of the “Action Plan of ANAS” related to the declaration of the “Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty” to the Presidium of ANAS. Academician Isa Habibbeyli said that the presented proposals were systematized by the Science and Education Department of the Presidium administration, and the “Action Plan of ANAS” was prepared. It is presented for discussion at today’s meeting.

The action plan includes the organization of scientific conferences, seminars, and roundtable discussions on topics such as “Sovereignty in the Digital Age: The Impact of AI and Cyber Space on States”, “The Theme of Constitution and Sovereignty in Azerbaijani Art”, “Constitution and Our Native Language”, “Heydar Aliyev and the Constitution of Azerbaijan”, “Azerbaijan Statehood in Classical Manuscript Texts”, “Azerbaijani Archaeology in the Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty: Achievements and Prospects”, and more. The preparation of several monographic publications is also included.

After the discussions, the “Action Plan of ANAS” related to the “Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty” was approved.

The next issue discussed at the meeting was the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, dated February 3, 2025, on the celebration of the 140th anniversary of Uzeyir Hajibeyli, and the tasks facing ANAS in this regard.

The head of ANAS underlined that in September 2025, the 140th anniversary of the birth of the great Azerbaijani composer, the creator of the first opera in the East, renowned musicologist, talented publicist, playwright, pedagogue, prominent public figure, People’s Artist, laureate of state awards, and full member of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences, Uzeyir Hajibeyli, will be celebrated.

Academician Isa Habibbeyli said that Uzeyir Hajibeyli, the author of the State Anthem of Azerbaijan, the founder of the first national Azerbaijani opera and operetta, and the organizer of the first national symphonic orchestra, made invaluable contributions to the enlightenment of our people in the 20th century and in educating in the spirit of patriotism, not only through his magnificent compositions but also through his rich journalistic works.

 “There is no composer in the history of Azerbaijani music, or in the Muslim and Turkic world, whose name is mentioned on the same level as his. The operetta “Arshin Mal Alan” (The Cloth Peddler) was staged in many countries around the world. His birthday is celebrated in Azerbaijan as National Music Day at the highest level. In short, Uzeyir Hajibeyli is our national pride. While composers like Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, and Schubert are famous worldwide, there is no composer with such multifaceted contributions as Uzeyir Hajibeyli”, - said Academician Isa Habibbeyli.

The academician noted that, alongside his rich compositional activity, the great composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli also played an important role in the activity of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, being one of the 15 founders of the Academy in 1945. He added that Uzeyir Hajibeyli was elected a member of the Presidium and made significant contributions to Azerbaijani music science, including transcribing our folk music into musical notation. According to the academician manuscripts and personal archive belonging to Uzeyir Hajibeyli are currently preserved at the Institute of Manuscripts of ANAS named after Muhammad Fuzuli.

Academician Isa Habibbeyli said that many works and articles about the life and creativity of Uzeyir Hajibeyli have been published till today and particularly highlighted the work of Academician Zemfira Safarova, who extensively researched the composer’s activities and presented them not only to the public of the country but also to the world. However, he also mentioned the necessity of preparing a collective monograph that fully reflects Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s rich life and multifaceted activities: “So far, musicologists have studied Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s compositional work, and literary scholars have examined his literary creations. There is a need for a comprehensive work, a collective monograph, that reflects Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s multifaceted activities, and this will be a historical contribution of Azerbaijani science to his 140th anniversary”.

The head of ANAS also drew attention to the fact that the 140th anniversary of the prominent composer will be celebrated with a grand event at the Academy, with the participation of representatives from the Turkic world and foreign guests. He also said that last year, the ANAS staff organized “Leyli and Majnun” opera viewing, performed by the collective of Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, and a similar event will be organized this year as well.

Academician Isa Habibbeyli said that the country’s leadership always pays special attention to Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s personality and expressed gratitude to the head of state on behalf of the Academy’s staff for the decree. This document will provide an opportunity for the re-examination of the great personality’s creative work and its presentation to younger generations and the world.  

Taking the above into account, the Division of Humanitarian Sciences and Division of Social Sciences of ANAS have been tasked with preparing the “Action Plan of ANAS” on the celebration of Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s 140th anniversary. Furthermore, it was decided to organize a scientific conference on the topic “Uzeyir Hajibeyli: Literary-Cultural Value and Spiritual-Aesthetic Wealth” with the joint organization of Presidium of ANAS, the Division of Humanitarian Sciences and Division of Social Sciences of ANAS. The Nizami Ganjavi Institute of Literature of ANAS and the Institute of Architecture and Art of ANAS have been tasked with preparing a joint monograph dedicated to Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s life and work.

The Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, dated January 16, 2025, on the approval of the “Digital Development Concept in the Republic of Azerbaijan” and the responsibilities of ANAS were also discussed at the meeting of the Presidium of ANAS.

Academician Isa Habibbeyli said that the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences is among the executors of Clause 1.1.2 of the “Action Plan for the Implementation of the Concept”, regarding “determining the list of key parameters and acceptable limits related to the information security of state institutions and diagnosing the information security environment”.  

The head of ANAS underlined that the Presidential Decree assigns important tasks to the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences alongside other state institutions. He added that over the past three years, one of the key directions of the reforms carried out at ANAS, considering national interests and trends in leading scientific institutions worldwide, is the development of electronic science at the Academy of Sciences. This includes supporting the development of digital scientific information resources, applying artificial intelligence technologies, conducting scientometric research, and expanding of the electronic document management system. To ensure the systematic and comprehensive implementation of these efforts, the “Electronic Academy” Department was established at the Presidium administration of ANAS. Through this department, necessary steps have been taken to create electronic databases of scientific journals, virtual profiles for researchers, a Digital Information Resources System, and initial citation calculations. Additionally, by the relevant decision of the Presidium of ANAS, electronic service departments have been established within ANAS institutions.

Academician Isa Habibbeyli said that the development of artificial intelligence and digital technologies is a primary goal for countries worldwide today and President Ilham Aliyev’s decree will contribute to achieve significant success in this field in Azerbaijan.

The head of ANAS also issued instructions to further strengthen the activities of electronic service departments, send existing personnel for trainings, and other related matters.

Then, the Vice President of ANAS, Academician Rasim Aliguliyev delivered a speech on this issue. He said that this Concept is a crucial strategic document aimed at the formation of a digital state in the near future and defines the subsequent tasks.

Academician Rasim Aliguliyev pointed out that the foundation of this direction in Azerbaijan was laid in the early 2000s by the National Leader Heydar Aliyev. He emphasized that with the adoption of the “National Strategy on Information and Communication Technologies for the Development of the Republic of Azerbaijan (2003-2012)”, the state policy for the formation of the information society ideology in Azerbaijani society was officially declared. The academician noted that over the years, President Ilham Aliyev has taken significant steps in the development of information and communication technologies in our country, achieving many successes. E-government was established, and all of this is confirmed by leading global rankings.

The speaker underlined that the adoption of the “Digital Development Concept in the Republic of Azerbaijan” in the “Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty” is an important step. The adopted document will lead to the centralized management and systematization of the digital activities of state institutions.

Taking into account the issues discussed during the meeting, the scientific divisions, centers, and organizations of ANAS were instructed to prepare proposals related to the implementation of the Decree and submit them to the Presidium of ANAS.

Later, the Head of the Human Resources Department of the Presidium of ANAS, PhD in Philology Aynur Mahmud, presented the nomenclature of the positions of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, which was subsequently approved by the Presidium.

Extensive discussions were also held on the Report Collection on the Activities of ANAS and its Scientific and Educational Institutions in 2024.

The Head of the Science and Education Department of the Presidium of ANAS, Doctor of Philological Sciences Sarkhan Khaveri, provided information on the requirements set by the Academy’s leadership for the preparation of the reports.

A commission chaired by Academician Isa Habibbeyli was established to determine the criteria for evaluating significant scientific results to be presented in the future by ANAS and its scientific and educational institutions.

Additionally, the Report Collection on the Activities of ANAS and its Scientific and Educational Institutions in 2024 was recommended for publication. The Action Plan on the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the “Elm” Publishing House of ANAS was approved.

The meeting also addressed personnel matters. By the decision of the Presidium of ANAS, Doctor of Philological Sciences Hikmat Guliyev was appointed as the Director of the Institute of Folklore of ANAS.

Additionally, resolutions were adopted regarding the 75th anniversary of Academician Adil Garibov, the 70th anniversary of corresponding member of ANAS Namig Jalilov, the 75th anniversary of corresponding member of ANAS Rana Mammadova and the 75th anniversary of corresponding member of ANAS Abulfaz Guliyev.

Academicians Rasim Aliguliyev, Arif Hashimov, Dilgam Taghiyev, Irada Huseynova, Govhar Bakhshaliyeva, corresponding member of ANAS Gurban Yetirmishli, Doctor of Historical Sciences Zemfira Hajiyeva, Professor Ilham Mammadzade, PhD in History Farhad Guliyev, and others expressed their views and suggestions on the discussed issues.

In the end, Academician Isa Habibbeyli mentioned that the issues discussed at the meeting and the ongoing reforms are priority components of the renewed Academy of Sciences. He emphasized that ANAS will continue to confidently fulfill the tasks set by the head of state for scientists and officially closed the meeting.

Reyhan Majidli, Public Relations, Press and Information Department of the Presidium Administration of ANAS

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