An international conference on “Fundamentals and historical aspects of the right to national identity”

The Ombudsman of Azerbaijan, the State Public Administration Academy, and the International Ottoman Research Center jointly organized an international conference on the topic “An international conference on “Fundamentals and historical aspects of the right to national identity.”

Greeting the participants during his opening speech, the rector of the State Public Administration Academy, academician Urkhan Alakbarov, gave information about achievements gained during the past periods after regaining its independence. He said new management technologies used in our country significantly influenced the building of an inclusive society and safeguarding human rights and freedoms, including the right to national identity.  

In her opening remarks, the Ombudsman, Sabina Aliyeva, emphasized that the year 2025 was proclaimed the “Year of Constitution and Sovereignty” in Azerbaijan, according to the Presidential corresponding Order, and that today’s conference is the first event devoted to the relevant topic.       

The Ombudsman emphasized the importance of the issues related to the right to national identity in the modern era that have been stipulated in the international human rights law norms.  

Noting that Azerbaijan had been subjected to ethnic cleansing, genocides, and occupations throughout history, the Ombudsman underlined the significance of the self-identification from the context of the restoration of rights that had been violated for many years. She also said that the people of Azerbaijan, who had been subjected to a genocide in the early of XX century, once again became a victim of a hatred policy by Armenia since the end of the century. Furthermore, it was noted that over 250 thousand   Azerbaijanis once lived in Armenia, had been exposed to ethnic cleansing, and the erasure of their traces from the areas where they lived for centuries is a clear manifestation of the violation of their right to exercise the right to national identity and of the ethnic hatred policy.  

The Ombudsman highlighted that Azerbaijan has made significant efforts for the preservation of the national identity and development of a balanced model of global integration, as well as that our country has become an example for the world with its centuries-old traditions of tolerance and multicultural environment.    

A distinguished Turkish historian and member of the International Ottoman Research Center's Board of Directors, Professor İlber Ortaylı, later spoke on the subject of "The Road to Independence: In the Context of Relations between the Turkic World and Azerbaijan." The professor pointed out that other nations might learn from the tight ties that have existed between Azerbaijan and Türkiye throughout history, as long as they cooperate in all fields.  

Ilber Ortaylı stressed that the Turkic peoples cherish their national and spiritual values and have maintained their national identity for millennia when discussing the shared history of Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and the Turkic world overall. 

The lecturer also pointed out that Armenians, who have been a part of many empires over the years, had developed an unjustified enmity toward Azerbaijanis.

Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University's Vice-Rector for International Relations, Professor Mahira Huseynova, spoke on the subject of "Forced deportation of Western Azerbaijanis and the strategic goals of the Armenian state." She stated that during the past century, Azerbaijanis have been expelled from Armenia, that religious and cultural sites have been demolished there, and that our compatriots' rights and liberties have been flagrantly abused. According to M. Huseynova, the right to return of our compatriots who escaped Armenia to their ancestral homelands is their right establshed by international treaties.

Professor Solmaz Rustamova-Tohidi, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, addressed the topic of "History of Recognition of the Right of National Affiliation of Azerbaijanis: From National Identity to Constitutional Law" in her speech. She brought up topics like the role and position of Azerbaijanis in the South Caucasus, as well as the historical and legal recognition of their national identity and affiliation.