Strategic Scientific Cooperation between TÜBA and ANAS
The TÜBA-ANAS Bilateral Symposium on “Azerbaijan and Türkiye in World Politics,” organized by the TÜBA International Relations Working Group and the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), was held in Baku. The program, which also celebrated the 80th anniversary of the ANAS, addressed the historical ties between the two countries and their positions in international politics from a multidimensional perspective.
From brotherhood to science diplomacy: A shared future
Turkish Ambassador to Baku Prof. Dr. Birol Akgün, President of the Türkiye Heritage Foundation Prof. Aktoti Raimkulova, President of AASSA, TÜBA Full Member and TÜBA International Relations Working Group Executive Prof. Dr. Ahmet Nuri Yurdusev, TÜBA President Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Şeker, and ANAS President Prof. Dr. İsa Habibbayli delivered the opening speeches of the program.
The program began with ANAS Vice President Prof. Dr. Govhar Bakhshaliyeva's presentation titled "Türkiye-Azerbaijan Relations from the Perspective of One Nation, Two States: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow“ and TÜBA Member Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık's speech titled ”Türkiye's Relations with the Organization of Turkic States: Regional Cooperation, Identity Construction, and Strategic Compatibility in Eurasia."
The first session, “Strategic Foundations of Türkiye-Azerbaijan Relations,” was moderated by TÜBA Associate Member Prof. Dr. Şener Aktürk. Prof. Dr. Karim Shukurov from the Institute of History and Ethnology spoke on “Heydar Aliyev: Architect of Modern Relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Türkiye,” Prof. Dr. Yaşar Sarı from Ibn Haldun University spoke on “Heydar Aliyev's Legacy in Azerbaijan-Türkiye Relations,” and Dr. Öğr. Member Muhammet Koçak spoke on “Regional Dynamics in a Period of Global Transition: Türkiye and Azerbaijan in the Construction of Post-Hegemonic Multilateralism,” Assoc. Prof. Mammadali Babashli from the Institute of Oriental Studies spoke on “Azerbaijan-Türkiye Strategic Cooperation in the New World Order: Necessity and Expectations,” and Assoc. Prof. Belgin Şan Akça from Koç University spoke on “Energy Security and Strategic Reorganization: Azerbaijan-Türkiye Cooperation in a Period of Global Uncertainty.”
Prof. Dr. Karim Shukurov from ANAS moderated the session “Different Dimensions of Türkiye-Azerbaijan Relations.” Assoc. Prof. Namig Mammadov from the Institute of Oriental Studies spoke on “The Role of Azerbaijan in Ensuring Türkiye's Energy Security,” and Prof. Dr. Şener Aktürk, member of the TÜBA International Relations Working Group, spoke on "Azerbaijan and Türkiye Nationalisms and a Comparative Perspective of Religions: Founding Conflicts, Ecumenical Muslim Identity and Secularism,“ Dr. Ceyhun Aghayev from the Institute of Oriental Studies spoke on ”Türkiye-Azerbaijan Diaspora Cooperation: Strategic Approaches in the New Era,“ Assoc. Prof. Serhan Afacan from Marmara University ”The Organization of Turkic States and Its Impact on Iran's Relations with Türkiye and Azerbaijan," Dr. Aynur Mahmud from the ANAS Presidency spoke on “Bahtiyar Vahapzade in Azerbaijani-Turkish Literary Relations,” and Assoc. Prof. Huseyn Huseynov from the ANAS Central Scientific Library spoke on “The Role of Libraries in Azerbaijani-Türkiye Relations.”
The session titled “Public Diplomacy” was moderated by TÜBA Associate Member Prof. Dr. Ali Balcı. Prof. Dr. Emel Parlar Dal from Marmara University presented on "Status Seeking Strategies of Medium-Sized Powers in Global Governance: The Case of Türkiye,“ Prof. Dr. Roida Rzayeva, Head of the ANAS Institute of Oriental Studies, spoke on ”Digital Diplomacy and the Symbolic Capital of Culture,“ and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Faiq Elekberli, Head of the ANAS Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, spoke on ”From the Idea of a Turkish Union to the Organization of Turkic States: History and Today,“ and Prof. Dr. Emre Erşen from Marmara University presented their papers on ”Türkiye's Strategic Role within the Framework of the 3+3 Consultation Format: Balancing Regional Dynamics in the South Caucasus."
The session titled “Comparative Diplomacy” was moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Serkhan Khaveri, Head of the Science and Education Department of the ANAS Presidency. In this session, Serkhan Khaveri presented “Acculturation and Turkish National Identity in the Context of the Understanding of ‘The End of the Grand Narrative’ in the Postmodern Era,” Dr. Gültekin İsmayılova from the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology presented “The Psychological Evolution of the Ideological Foundations of the ‘One Nation, Two States’ Concept,” and Prof. Dr. Ali Balcı, member of the TÜBA International Relations Working Group, presented “The Road to Africa: Türkiye, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.” The Psychological Evolution of the Ideological Foundations of the Concept,“ Prof. Dr. Ali Balcı, Member of the TÜBA International Relations Working Group, presented ”The Road to Africa: Diplomacy at the Leadership Level of Türkiye, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, 1990-2024," Assoc. Prof. Dr. Südabe Hüseynova presented her paper titled “The Impact of Armenian Terrorism on the Psychological State of Azerbaijanis,” while Assoc. Prof. Dr. İrade Zerkan from the same institute presented her paper titled “The Role of Identity and Culture in Diplomatic Relations.”
Prof. Dr. Birol Akgün, Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Azerbaijan, referred to the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Türkiye, drawing attention to the growing role of both countries in world politics and the importance of their common stance. The ambassador emphasized that preserving the rich Turkish spirit and common cultural values and passing on the common past from yesterday to today and from today to the future is an extremely important issue today.
Concrete steps are being taken to deepen the integration of the Turkic world.
Prof. Dr. Akgün stated that the Turkic world has faced many problems and challenges throughout history, but has never lost its commitment to its language, culture and identity. He stated that the traces of the Turkish heritage, which has a thousand-year history, can be seen today in a wide geography from Central Asia to the Balkan Peninsula. In 1926, Akgün said that the First Turkology Congress held in Baku was not only a platform for scientific discussion, but also a place where the destiny of peoples was shaped, and drew attention to the historical importance of celebrating the 100th anniversary of this Congress in Baku again. He emphasized that the Turkic world is a big family consisting of Turkic peoples living in different geographies with common historical and cultural roots. The Ambassador also emphasized the current importance of issues such as the publication of common history textbooks for the Turkic world, the establishment of a Common Term Union and the preparation of a common alphabet for the Turkic world and wished success to the symposium.
Every step we take for the unity of the Turkic world is an integral part of our common strategic partnership
In her speech at the symposium, President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Aktoty Raimkulova said: “Our main goal as the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation is to preserve common values among Turkic peoples, to promote our rich scientific and cultural heritage and to pass it on to future generations.” Raimkulova reminded that the Foundation was established in 2012 on the initiative of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and with the support of the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Türkiye. She emphasized that the Foundation attaches great importance to strengthening scientific and cultural integration between brotherly countries.
Stating that Azerbaijan and Türkiye are connected not only geographically but also spiritually and culturally, Raimkulova said that the strategic partnership between these two countries sets an important example for the unity of the Turkic world.
She expressed her belief that the symposium will be a source of inspiration for new ideas, further strengthen cooperation between Azerbaijani and Turkish scientists and contribute to strengthening the global cultural-political position of the Turkic world. "Bridges built through science can make political and economic cooperation more solid and lasting. Every step we take for the unity and solidarity of the Turkic world, including events like today's symposium, is an integral part of our common strategic partnership."
Joint scientific initiatives will have important outcomes for the region
In his speech, Prof. Dr. Yurdusev gave detailed information about the main fields of activity of AASSA, of which he is the President, and emphasized the importance of the existing scientific cooperation with Azerbaijan and TÜBA.
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Nuri Yurdusev expressed his belief that this international event will contribute to the further strengthening of scientific and strategic relations between the two brotherly countries that are Azerbaijan and Türkiye, as well as the development of mutual understanding and partnership between the peoples.
We will turn the symposium into a timeless artifact
Underlining that Türkiye and Azerbaijan are two countries with deep-rooted historical ties, a common culture and a strong brotherhood, President Şeker also emphasized that the existing ties are based not only on an emotional basis, but also on a scientific, strategic and multifaceted cooperation. He stated that the symposium was extremely meaningful in terms of showing the level of cooperation between the countries.
There are many problems in the international system, humanitarian crises continue, a genocide is considered genocide everywhere. Stating that scientists have a lot of work to do, President Şeker said: "The 12 valuable scientists from Türkiye who participated in our symposium program, which was organized with the initiatives of our TÜBA International Relations Working Group, shed light on different dimensions of the relations between the two countries, and current issues were evaluated from the academic perspective of a total of 26 participants. I would like to thank all the academicians who contributed. This symposium will also turn into a permanent work. With the international book titled “Azerbaijan and Türkiye in World Politics”, which is being prepared in cooperation with the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and TÜBA, we aim to bring the discussions and presentations made here to a wider audience. We expect our participating scientists to contribute an original chapter to this book. We believe that the study will make a meaningful contribution to the science diplomacy of both countries."
We built a new scientific bridge
Habibbeyli emphasized that “Azerbaijan and Türkiye in world politics” was the main discussion topic of an international scientific symposium for the first time. He stated that the presentation contributed to the importance of the symposium by presenting the approaches of both Azerbaijani and Turkish scientific circles. He pointed out that for the first time, broad scientific discussions were systematically carried out from the perspectives of the two countries.
The head of the Academy noted that nearly 30 papers were presented at the symposium, and as a result of the discussions, the participants gained a comprehensive understanding of the role, position, unity and solidarity of Azerbaijan and Türkiye in world politics.
“The friendship and brotherhood of Türkiye and Azerbaijan on the international scale and on the political scene, as well as in all other areas, has become even clearer within the framework of this scientific symposium,” Habibbeyli said, adding that the topics discussed will create new opportunities for future research and contribute to the development of new scientific directions.
Stating that the papers presented will be published in Türkiye in the form of a collection of scientific articles, academic Habibbeyli said that this book will be a guide and a valuable source of information for future researchers. Habibbeyli emphasized that one of the important outcomes of the symposium was the further strengthening of scientific relations with Türkiye. He noted that this event opened a new page in the cooperation relations of ANAS both with various scientific institutions in Türkiye and with AASSA. Noting that Türkiye-Azerbaijan relations have entered a new stage of development, the head of the academy expressed his belief that thanks to this cooperation, scientific relations between the two brotherly countries will further deepen. Emphasizing that the participation of Turkish scientists who came to Azerbaijan for the first time has a very special meaning, Habibbeyli said that the new scientific bridges established between the countries are pleasing. He added that the symposium has become the beginning of new joint scientific projects and future collaborations, as well as an important platform for the development of scientific relations.
