Conference: Heydar Aliyev & Language
On April 30th, 2015 Western University together with Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University held a conference, dedicated to the 92nd Anniversary of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev’s birth. Before the conference, participants visited the grave of Heydar Aliyev in the Alley of Honor.
After greeting the participants, Rector Professor Zenfira Mamedova, told them about the establishment of the independent Azerbaijan Republic and the invaluable achievements of Heydar Aliyev in the political and social sphere. Professor Mamedova noted that Heydar Aliyev paid great attention to language policy. She also pointed out that in order to ensure the bright future of his native country, to strengthen the foundations of statehood, to maintain a sense of national identity and to grant state language status to the Azerbaijani language in light of the harsh laws of the Soviet Union, one needed to be a genius and have outstanding management capabilities and organisational skills. And, definitely, Heydar Aliyev possessed these gifts.
Head of the Department of Political Analysis & Forecasting of the Executive Secretariat of the New Azerbaijan Party, Member of Milli Mejlis, Ph.D. in Political Sciences Aydin Mirzazade, corresponding member of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Science (ANAS), Doctor of Historical Sciences Professor Nargiz Ahundova, corresponding member of ANAS, Doctor of Historical Science Professor Veli Aliyev, Deputy Director of ANAS Institute of History, Doctor of Historical Science, Professor Jabi Bahramov and WU Honorary Professor Fikret Sadiqov told the audience about Heydar Aliyev’s language policy and the measures taken to address language problems that existed in those hard times for Azerbaijan.
Head of the Department of Language Training, Assistant Professor Dr Adela Asadova presented a report entitled ‘Language of Heydar Aliyev’, the Head of the Department of Law and Humanities, Assistant Professor Mirelem Aga presented a report on ‘Constitutional and Legal Status of the Azerbaijani Language’, and Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University’s Doctor of Philology Hajar Huseynova presented a report on ‘Heydar Aliyev’s Language Policy’.
The speakers told the audience about the invaluable role of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev in the development of the language, about his attitude to national and foreign languages, speech culture, etc. After a short break the conference continued its work in sections.
