Mirror of our identity Azerbaijani language to accompany COP29

By Mazahir Afandiyev

It is no secret that in modern times, one of the most crucial components in the survival of each nation is its unique language.

The development and preservation of the Azerbaijani language have been critical to our people throughout history. The Azerbaijani language evolved under multiple influences over time and passed through several stages.

Today, we can proudly say that our heroic people, after passing the most challenging tests of time with outstanding competence, retained our language, national identity, and moral principles and brought us to this day. We have our own history, culture, and language with deep roots.

It is no coincidence that the founding of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), the first democratic republic in the Muslim East, in 1918 provided multiple opportunities and favorable conditions for the widespread use of our native language. When the Democratic Republic's government designated the Azerbaijani-Turkish language to be the official state language throughout the country, actual initiatives to promote its development began.

After the bolsheviks abolished the ADR, which lasted only 23 months, the Azerbaijani language experienced a small decline until the 1970s.

Then, as in many other areas, great leader Heydar Aliyev has made a unique contribution to the development of our native language and raised it to a high level as a state language. The Great Leader's resolute and principled approach, as well as his serious efforts, resulted in the Azerbaijani language being established as the state language in the new Constitution of the former Azerbaijan USSR, which was enacted in 1978. Given the circumstances at the time, making such a decision was a significant event for our people.

However, the existence of an independence state of the people is critical to the powerful development and richness of any language, particularly in achieving the position of a state language. In this sense, Heydar Aliyev, who returned to power for the second time at the request of the grateful Azerbaijani people, effectively carried on the language reforms that had begun and laid the basis for the state's native language policy. Thus, as a result of our national leader's significant efforts, the Azerbaijani language was accepted as the official language in the First National Constitution of the newly independent Republic of Azerbaijan, adopted in 1995.

Heydar Aliyev said, "I respect and express my respect for every language. I believe that we can be proud of the Azerbaijani language. Because this is a rich language, it is already a well-known language in the world. The name of our people, our republic, and our language has been recognized." These words became an important road map for determining, forming, and developing state language policy. According to a presidential decree dated August 9, 2001, August 1 is now honored in our country as the day of the Azerbaijani alphabet and language.

It can be stated that the modern Republic of Azerbaijan, which hosts the most prestigious events in the world and conducts these international gatherings in the five official languages of the UN, reveals the richness of the Azerbaijani language and fosters an environment in which everyone can study it with love and respect.

Over 50 million people worldwide still speak Azerbaijani as their native language, as President Ilham Aliyev pointed out. This process is evolving constantly and becoming more global every day. Up until now, significant events conducted in our country have shaped the opinions of millions of people representing nations around the globe regarding our original language.

It is no surprise that the Azerbaijani language is regarded as one of the most outstanding in the world, given its age as well as its fluency, richness, and diversity.

All the same, our primary objective is to maintain our language in its current form while also making necessary improvements and additions while keeping in mind its linguistic ties to the Turkic family. By doing this, we hope to support the efforts of the Organization of Turkic States and fulfill our mission in a more significant way.

I'd like to point out that as part of COP29, the 29th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will be hosted by our country this year, tens of thousands of eco-activists and COP policy experts will visit Azerbaijan. This, in turn, will provide an opportunity for our people to express the richness, purity, wisdom, and holiness of the Azerbaijani language, which is a reflection of our identity, to each guest with genuine respect and welcome.

Mazahir Afandiyev is the Member of the Milli Majlis (the Azerbaijani Parliament).