A PRESENTATION OF THE BOOK “POLISH-LITHUANIAN TATARS IN AZERBAIJAN” BY VILAYAT GULIYEV WAS HELD AT THE TURKIC CULTURE AND HERITAGE FOUNDATION

On April 7, 2026, a presentation of the book “Polish-Lithuanian Tatars in Azerbaijan”, authored by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Doctor of Philology, Professor Vilayat Guliyev, was held at the headquarters of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation.

The book highlights, based on extensive historical facts and archival materials, the significant role of Polish-Lithuanian Tatars in the history of Azerbaijan, particularly during the period of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.

In her speech, the President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Professor Aktoty Raimkulova, emphasized that the Foundation implements numerous projects aimed at promoting the cultural heritage of Turkic peoples both within the Turkic world and in various regions across the globe: “The exhibition ‘Lithuanian Tatars’; a conference dedicated to Lithuanian Karaites; the International Turkological Conference organized jointly with the University of Warsaw; as well as the Foundation’s work on establishing a Turkic Cultural Heritage Center at this University – all of these serve as vivid examples of our activities in this field. One of the important milestones of our cooperation was also the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania to the Foundation and the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation with Lithuania”.

Professor Aktoty Raimkulova noted that the book by Vilayat Guliyev, published by the Foundation, will make a significant contribution to strengthening cultural ties with Lithuania and Poland, as well as to promoting the historical heritage of Turkic peoples living in these countries.

Speaking at the event Doctor of Historical Sciences and public and political figure Hasan Hasanov, People’s Writer and academician Kamal Abdulla, Honored Scientist Professor Solmaz Rustamova-Tohidi, People’s Poet Sabir Rustamkhanli, Member of the Milli Majlis Hikmat Babaoghlu, and Rector of Ardahan University, Professor Dr. Öztürk Emiroğlu, emphasized the importance of this work for preserving historical memory and for the deeper study of cultural ties between Azerbaijan, Poland, and Lithuania.

The author of the book, Vilayat Guliyev, stated that the main objective of the work was to systematically study the traces of Polish – Lithuanian Tatars in the history of Azerbaijan, as well as to present, on a scientific basis, the heritage of the Turkic world spread across a wide geographical area. He also expressed his gratitude to the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation for its support in the preparation of the publication and expressed confidence in the continued successful development of cooperation.

The event was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan, including Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkic states, as well as Poland and Lithuania; government officials; representatives of science, culture, and the socio-political sphere; heads of international organizations; and members of the media.

The event continued with a cultural program.