Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

A scientific conference on “War and Peace: Azerbaijani Reality” was held at the Main Building of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) on the occasion of September 27 – Remembrance Day. The conference was organized by the Humanities and Social Sciences Divisions of ANAS.

At the outset, a minute of silence was observed in memory of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Opening the event, President of ANAS, Academician Isa Habibbayli, stated that in the years following the restoration of independence, the Azerbaijani state had achieved significant progress in all areas, including army building, by strengthening its economic power. Emphasizing that Azerbaijan’s 30-year just struggle had culminated in the 44-day Patriotic War – the Great Victory – Academician Isa Habibbayli noted that the complete victory of the Azerbaijani Army over the occupiers under the leadership of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Victorious Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev had laid the foundation for a new era in the history of the country.

He noted that President Ilham Aliyev had entered the centuries-old history of Azerbaijan as a leader who had led the country to victory, adding that there was no other example in world history of a 30-year war being brought to a victorious conclusion in such a short period. The President of ANAS described this glorious event as a new page opened by the head of state in both the military history of Azerbaijan and world military history.

Academician Isa Habibbayli stated that the Karabakh war had definitively ended as a result of the anti-terror measures that lasted 23 hours and 43 minutes in September 2023, and that the territory had been completely cleared of separatists and illegal armed formations. He noted that today the tricolor State Flag of Azerbaijan proudly flies throughout the country’s sovereign territory, including in the liberated territories – Shusha, Khankendi, Lachin, Kalbajar and other parts of our land. He emphasized that the people of Azerbaijan would remain eternally grateful to the Victorious Commander-in-Chief for this historic event and confident victory.

Stating that the restoration of territorial integrity had also created new dynamics in the region, the President of ANAS noted that the concept of the Zangezur Corridor had now become an important geopolitical factor. He described the Zangezur Corridor, which connects many countries from China to Europe, as a far-sighted initiative of the President of Azerbaijan that promotes security, cooperation and economic development.

Concluding his speech, Academician Isa Habibbayli expressed confidence that the reports to be delivered and discussions to be held at the conference would contribute to a deeper scholarly study and broader coverage of the history of the Great Victory.

At the scientific conference, Professor Karim Shukurov, Director of the A.A. Bakikhanov Institute of History and Ethnology of ANAS, delivered a report titled “The Chronicle of the Victorious Commander-in-Chief’s Victory: From War to Peace”; Professor Mais Amrahov, Chief Researcher of the Department of Caucasus History of the same institute, spoke on “The Great Historic Victory in Forty-Four Days and Ensuring the Right to Sovereignty”; Gunel Musayeva, PhD in History, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of History of the Republic of Azerbaijan at the institute, presented a report titled “Historical Lessons of the Road Leading to the Great Victory”; and Aynur Karimli, Senior Researcher of the same department, delivered a report on “The Forty-Four-Day War as a New Stage in the History of Azerbaijan.”

The event also featured a report by Khazar Zeynalov, PhD in Art Studies, Associate Professor and Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs of the Institute of Architecture and Art of ANAS, titled “The Theme of Karabakh and the Great Return in Azerbaijani Art,” as well as a report by Marziya Najafova, Doctor of Philology, Associate Professor and Chief Researcher of the Department of Azerbaijani Literature of the Independence Period at the Nizami Ganjavi Institute of Literature of ANAS, titled “The Poetic Triumph of the Victory in Karabakh.”

The speakers highlighted the historical significance of the 44-day Patriotic War in restoring Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, the important historical and political stages on the road to the Great Victory, the formation of new realities in Karabakh, and the essence of the Great Return process. They also expressed views on the reflection of the Karabakh theme in Azerbaijani art and literature, as well as the new content created by the Patriotic War in national memory and artistic creativity.

Translation by Gulhane Aghayeva, Department of Public Relations, Press, and Information, Presidium of ANAS.

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