Baku, September 21, AZERTAC

The sixth International Congress of Turkology has started in Warsaw, the capital of Poland.

The International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, the embassies of Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan in Poland, as well as the Yunus Emre Institute and the Karaim Heritage Foundation are the main partners of the Congress hosted by the University of Warsaw.

Gunay Afandiyeva, President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, attended the Congress titled "Studies on the Turkic World – Multidisciplinary Perspectives" as an honored guest.

Zygmunt Lalak, vice-rector of the University of Warsaw, kicking off the event with his opening speech, spoke about the importance of the Congress, which is organized in Poland for the 6th time now, and noted that the event played a major role in promoting the rich past, history, language, and culture of the Turkic people in Europe and the whole world. In this regard, Zygmunt Lalak appreciated the activity of Turkologists gathered in Warsaw and wished success to the Congress’s work.

Cengiz Kamil Fırat, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkiye to the Republic of Poland, spoke about the significance of the Congress as a discussion platform. The ambassador touched upon the importance of the science of Turkology in building a bridge between the past and the future for every Turk and said that Turkiye always supports projects related to the promotion of the ancient heritage of the Turkic World.

Delivering her speech, President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva stated that researching the Turkic cultural heritage at a scientific conceptual level in modern times and involving turkologists from all over the world into this process is essential: “The Turkic World does not mean the vast geography inhabited only by the Turkic people. The Turkic World itself includes the common history, culture, literature, language, and traditions of the Turkic peoples. Each of these are the factors that form the Turkic identity and constitute its pillar.”

Touching on the fact that the friendly and partner relations between the Turkic World and Poland are based on ancient history and deep roots, the President of the Foundation noted that the Polish people are connected to every member country of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation. She emphasized that Tatars and Karaims, who are national minorities of Turkic origin, live in Poland, and stressed that it is in the interests of the organization to preserve their heritage.

Gunay Afandiyeva spoke about the development of the science of Turkology: “Today, Turkology is being studied as an independent science in 30 European countries. This science is considered not just as a branch of Oriental studies, but as a separate science.”

The President of the Foundation noted that the Turkic peoples of the same roots have been passing through difficult periods from time to time, and despite that the unity between the peoples is continuing and getting stronger day by day. “We once again witnessed this by the example of the moral support provided by Turkiye two years ago when Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity and returned the historical lands of Karabakh".

Nargiz Gurbanova, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Republic of Poland, speaking at the event, touched on the great scientific achievements of the Azerbaijani people for the Turkic world and gave information about the First Turkological Kurultai held in Baku in 1926.

The ambassador mentioned that the language of each nation confirms its national identity: "Azerbaijani language is one of the main factors that determine the nationality of our people. Throughout history, the Azerbaijani language has had a special place among the Turkic languages. In the 16th century, the Azerbaijani language rose to the level of the official state language of the Safavi state. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the first secular democratic republic in the Turkic World and the Muslim East, declared the Azerbaijani language as a state language in 1918.”

Emphasizing the importance of the Turkic Cooperation Organizations in strengthening the solidarity between the Turkic peoples, the ambassador drew attention to the decision of the Standing Council of Ministers of Culture of the TURKSOY member countries according to which the city of Shusha was chosen as the "Cultural Capital of the Turkic World" for 2023.

Alim Kirabayev, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Poland, said that it is important to study the history, culture, language, literature, and politics of the Turkic people in Europe. The ambassador spoke about the importance of international recognition of the centuries-old values of Kazakhstan and all Turkic states in general. He noted that the Congress contributed to the development of mutual relations between the Turkic and European peoples. The ambassador talked about the inputs of the Kazakh Turkologist, poet and politician Ahmet Baitursynuly, whose 150th anniversary was celebrated at the level of UNESCO this year, in the development of the scientific and cultural heritage of Kazakhstan.

At the opening ceremony of the Congress, Tadeusz Majda, Professor of the University of Warsaw was awarded an honorary degree for his services to the science of Turkology.

Various topics dedicated to Turkology were discussed in numerous panels held within the framework of the Congress.