On 21 February, an event was held at the headquarters of the International Turkish Culture Organization (TURKSOY) in Ankara, organised jointly by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, TURKSOY, and the National Library of Azerbaijan, to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the prominent Azerbaijani poet and playwright, Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh (1925-2009).

The event was attended by the leaders of TURKSOY, representatives from the Ministry of Culture of both countries, diplomats, and members of the scientific and literary community. As part of the event, an exhibition featuring books by the prominent Azerbaijani poet from the collection of the National Library of Azerbaijan was opened. The exhibition generated great interest among the admirers of Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh’s work.

The Deputy Secretary General of TURKSOY, Sayit Yusuf, opened the event and read a congratulatory letter from the head of the organisation, Sultan Raev. Then, the Deputy Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, Farid Jafarov, expressed his gratitude to TURKSOY for its contribution to promoting the work of the prominent poet.

Farid Jafarov also mentioned that a Presidential Decree had been signed by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, regarding the state-level celebration of the 100th anniversary of the People’s Poet Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh, and that the anniversary of the great poet would be widely celebrated throughout the year.

The Deputy Minister of Culture of Türkiye, Serdar Cham, in turn, drew attention to the difficult period in history during which Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh lived and created. “Despite all the hardships and obstacles, he continued to celebrate patriotism, freedom, and love for the Turkish world, and became the voice of his people”, Serdar Cham, emphasised.

The Director of the National Library of Azerbaijan, Professor Karim Tahirov, in his speech, noted that Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh was not only a great figure of words and thoughts for Azerbaijan but for the entire Turkic world. He emphasised that in Vahabzadeh’s work, devotion to the homeland and land, as well as the unity and solidarity of the Turkish peoples, hold a central place.

Then, the director presented the electronic database titled “Bakhtiyar of the Turkic World,” prepared by the staff of the National Library of Azerbaijan, as well as the “From the Golden Fund of the National Library of Azerbaijan” project. He also introduced the first poetry book of Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh, titled “My Friends”, which was published by the National Library. The event continued at the Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh Secondary School in Ankara, where the book “My Friends” and the electronic database “Bakhtiyar of the Turkic World” were presented, and books were presented to students.