Conference "Mohammed Fuzuli and Alisher Navoi: Our Common Literary and Moral Values" at the Union of Writers of Uzbekistan

As reported earlier, Days of Azerbaijani Culture are taking place in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, from June 10 to 14, under the organization of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan. On June 11, the Writers' Union of Uzbekistan hosted a conference titled "Mohammed Fuzuli and Alisher Navoi: Our Common Literary and Moral Values."

On the occasion of the 530th anniversary of the birth of the great Azerbaijani poet and thinker Muhammad Fuzuli (1494–1556), a two-volume edition of his works in the Uzbek language was presented as part of the event. The two-volume book was published under a project by the Azerbaijani Cultural Center named after Heydar Aliyev in Tashkent.

The conference was attended by the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan Adil Karimli, the Minister of Culture of Uzbekistan Ozodbek Nazarbekov, Chairman of the Union of Writers of Uzbekistan, People's Poet Sirajaddin Said, as well as the prominent cultural figures of the two countries.

Sirajaddin Said, the Chairman of the Writers' Union of Uzbekistan, pointed out that the Days of Azerbaijani Culture held in Uzbekistan significantly contribute to the development of literary relations. It was noted that Alisher Navoi, who was inspired by the works of the great Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi, influenced the development of all-Turkic literary thought and served as a cultural and literary bridge between our peoples. S. Said thanked President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev for initiating the 100-volume anthology "Pearls of Turkic Literature."

Ozodbek Nazarbekov, the Minister of Culture of Uzbekistan, greeted the Azerbaijani delegation and expressed his satisfaction with the development of literary and cultural relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan during his speech. The minister mentioned that every week various events related to the literature, culture, and science of the two brotherly countries are held either in Uzbekistan or in Azerbaijan. Each event strengthens the ties between our countries. He mentioned that the Days of Uzbek Culture were successfully held in Baku last year and expressed confidence that the Azerbaijani Days will be successful as well.

The Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, Adil Karimli, welcomed the attendees of the conference, mentioning that it was not coincidental that the Days of Culture started with a literature conference. He emphasized that the cultural relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are based among other things, on literary ties dating back to the Middle Ages. Stressing the importance of the friendship between our heads of state and the successful policy based on mutual trust for developing cultural relations between the two countries, the Minister expressed confidence in the sustainability of this policy. The Minister mentioned that the Azerbaijan Cultural Center, named after Heydar Aliyev in Tashkent, significantly contributes to the development of literary and cultural ties between our countries. Adil Karimli expressed his appreciation for the publication of Mohammad Fuzuli's collection in the Uzbek language, noting that the two-volume book will increase the recognition of the poet in Uzbekistan. The Minister assessed the restoration of the "Majlisi-faramushan" literary event in 2021 in Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, involving young writers from both Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan after many years, as an important new contribution to the literary relations of our countries.

Later at the conference, reports were presented by literary critic and professor Nurboy Jabbarov, the member of the Azerbaijan Milli Majlis and academician Nizami Jafarov, poet and translator Mirzo Kenjabek, the secretary of the Azerbaijan Writers' Union Salim Babullaoglu, and the director of the Institute of Oriental Studies named after academician Ziya Bunyadov of ANAS, Ruhangiz Jumshudlu. It was mentioned that Alisher Navoi and Muhammad Fuzuli had an exceptional role in the development of not only the two nations but also of Turkic literary and cultural thought in general. This was followed by discussions centered around the reports.

The event concluded with the presentation of a literary and musical composition with the participation of Azerbaijani art masters.