Sustainable Development Goals at Baku State University.

A conference titled “Continuation of the Great Path” was held at Baku State University (BSU), jointly organized by BSU and the Western Azerbaijan Community (WAC).

At the outset, conference participants visited the bust of National Leader Heydar Aliyev at the University and laid flowers in his honor. His memory was commemorated with deep respect, followed by a visit to an exhibition dedicated to Western Azerbaijan.

The event continued in BSU’s Assembly Hall with the playing of the national anthem and a one-minute moment of silence in memory of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Azerbaijan’s territories. In his address, BSU Rector Elchin Babayev emphasized that one of the defining features of the current stage of Azerbaijan’s statehood is President Ilham Aliyev’s strategic peacebuilding policy. He noted that the concept of sovereignty and the idea of returning to Western Azerbaijan, aimed at restoring historical justice, are among the key directions of state policy. According to the Rector, the issue of Western Azerbaijan is framed not as a revisionist claim, but as a legal and humanitarian matter based on international law, human rights, and the principle of dignified return.

Elchin Babayev highlighted that President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly articulated his position on the return to Western Azerbaijan in various speeches, including during meetings with the Community’s leadership and at the 80th anniversary of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. He stressed that these statements constitute a strategic framework for the scientific substantiation of the Western Azerbaijan issue and send a clear message to academic and educational institutions. In this context, BSU plans to contribute through systematic research, academic and socio-cultural projects, and the activities of the Western Azerbaijan Research Center established at the University. He underlined that the return to Western Azerbaijan requires not only political will, but also solid scientific grounding, academic research, and international legal arguments.

Chairman of the Board of the Western Azerbaijan Community and Member of Parliament Aziz Alakbarli stated that the foundations of the idea of returning to Western Azerbaijan were laid by National Leader Heydar Aliyev. He noted that over the past three years, the Community has achieved significant results and that the issue of return to Western Azerbaijan has become a real and priority direction of Azerbaijan’s domestic and foreign policy. He provided information on international outreach activities, official appeals, and documents prepared by the Community that have been circulated as official UN documents. He emphasized that the main goal of the conference and exhibition hosted by BSU is to convey the truths of Western Azerbaijan to students and the younger generation, and to promote historical heritage and national memory.

Speeches were also delivered by Vice President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences Rasim Aliguliyev, Head of the General Linguistics Department of BSU and Deputy Chairman of the WAC Council of Intellectuals Nizami Jafarov, and Chair of the WAC Women’s Council and Member of Parliament Malahat Ibrahimgizi, who stressed the importance of strengthening multidisciplinary research in promoting the truths of Western Azerbaijan.

Within the framework of the conference, the presentation of Volume I of the book titled “Heritage of Western Azerbaijan: The Consequences of the Systematic Destruction of Azerbaijani Cemeteries in Armenia and Issues of International Legal Responsibility”, authored by Aziz Alakbarli and researcher Sabuhi Huseynov, was held. The Director of the BSU Western Azerbaijan Research Center, Khalid Niyazov, noted that the study documents the condition of Azerbaijani cemeteries in Armenia, analyzes discriminatory policies affecting cultural heritage, and examines the legal responsibility of Armenia under international law.

The conference concluded with an artistic composition dedicated to Western Azerbaijan, presented by BSU’s Culture and Creativity Center.

SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)