On 29 June 2021, H.E. Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan took part in the commemorative event organized by the Representation Office of the Turkic Council in Hungary, in celebration of the 880th Anniversary of birth of the Great Azerbaijani Poet Nizami Ganjavi.
The event was attended by the delegation of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, officials from the Hungarian Parliament, Deputy State Secretary for the Eastern Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Ambassadors of the Member States of the Turkic Council resident in Budapest, representatives of diplomatic corps, prominent Turcologists, academia, press and diaspora.
During her speech, Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Sahiba Gafarova expressed her appreciation to the Representation Office of the Turkic Council for the organization of the event dedicated to the Great Azerbaijani poet. Underlining the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan declaring 2021 as the ”Year of Nizami Ganjavi”, Speaker of the Milli Majlis stated that series of events will continue throughout the year to celebrate Nizami Ganjavi’s life and immense contributions to the world of literature.
Speaker of the Milli Majlis highlighted that the ongoing initiatives such as the establishment of the Joint Investment Fund and “Turkic World Vision - 2040”, as well as cooperation within the framework of Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking Countries (TURKPA) will greatly contribute to the cohesion of the Member and Observer States of the Turkic Council in the upcoming period.
Sahiba Gafarova also expressed appreciation of the Milli Majlis for the firm stance demonstrated by the Turkic Council for Azerbaijan’s just cause in liberating its territories from occupation and restoring its territorial integrity during the 44-Day Patriotic War.
Hosting the event, the Executive Director of the Representation Office Dr. János Hóvári noted the historic significance of Hungary’s obtention of observer status at the Turkic Council, emphasized the role of the Representation Office in reviving and promoting the Turkic heritage in Europe, and highlighted that, as instructed by the Heads of States at the online Informal Turkistan Summit on 31 March 2021, the commemorative event constituted an important step to present the great figures of the Turkic world to the entire world.
Mentioning that Hungary has always felt close at heart to the Turkic world and endeavoured to establish stronger ties, Deputy State Secretary for the Eastern Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary Mr. András Baranyi expressed confidence that the ever-growing strategic partnership between Hungary and Azerbaijan will continue to flourish thanks to the resilience of both Parties.
On the occasion of the event, academicians from the Eötvös Loránd University made presentations on the impact of Nizami Ganjavi’s works in Turkology studies.
