Azernews.Az

By Mazahir Afandiyev I AzerNEWS

It is no secret that in today’s globalized world, one of the most essential factors — and perhaps the most important — in ensuring the existence of any nation or people is the presence of a unique language. As our National Leader Heydar Aliyev once said: “Every nation is born through its language.”

Language is the primary guarantor of a people’s existence. For the Azerbaijani people, the native language is among the key elements defining our national identity. The native language is sacred, akin to our state symbols — the national anthem, the emblem, and the flag.

Today, we can proudly say that our heroic people have passed through the most challenging tests of time with great skill, preserving our language, national identity, and spiritual values all the way to the present day. We possess a history, a culture, and a language rooted in deep traditions.

As in all areas, National Leader Heydar Aliyev played an invaluable role in the development of our native language and in elevating it to the status of state language. As he emphasized: “Our native language is the greatest national treasure of independent Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani people.” It was thanks to his courage, principled and determined stance, and tireless efforts that the Azerbaijani language was enshrined as the state language in the new Constitution adopted by the former USSR on April 27, 1978. Given the realities of the time, this decision was a highly significant achievement for our people.

Responding to the nation’s urgent call, Heydar Aliyev returned to leadership for a second time and successfully continued the language reforms he began in the early 1970s. He laid the foundation for a state policy concerning the native language. As a result of his purposeful and well-thought-out policy, Article 21 of the first national Constitution adopted in 1995 officially declared the Azerbaijani language as the state language of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Later, Heydar Aliyev continued to define, shape, and strengthen Azerbaijan’s language policy by regularly signing decrees and orders aimed at the development of our language. For example, based on a decree signed in 2001, August 1st was declared the Day of the Azerbaijani Alphabet and Language in our country.

Efforts to develop and protect our native language also continued on a legislative level. On September 30, 2002, the Azerbaijani Parliament adopted the Law “On the State Language in the Republic of Azerbaijan.”

Today, as the worthy successor of the National Leader, President Ilham Aliyev continues to successfully implement the state strategy aimed at the development and protection of the native language. He approaches our language, national traditions, the promotion of spiritual values, and the recognition of our ancient cultural heritage with great care. Thanks to the efforts of our head of state, significant steps have been taken toward the purification and development of the Azerbaijani language.

As President Ilham Aliyev noted, today Azerbaijani is the native language of more than 50 million people around the world. This process continues to grow and develop daily within the context of globalization. Through the major initiatives led by our country’s leadership, millions of people around the world now form impressions about our native language.

It is no coincidence that Azerbaijani is considered one of the world’s most distinguished languages in terms of its antiquity, richness, diversity, and fluency.

In today’s modern world, which constantly presents new challenges, language and culture are tools for expressing a people’s creativity and for strengthening the continuity of society’s existence. For this reason, our heroic people, who possess a rich and developed linguistic culture, remain resilient, immortal, and destined for a great future.

From this perspective, every child of Azerbaijan must continue to protect the Azerbaijani language — the most precious national treasure inherited from our wise people through Heydar Aliyev’s tireless efforts, an inseparable part of our Constitution, and a symbol of our sovereignty, unity, and solidarity — as dearly as the apple of their eye.

As the National Leader emphasized when advising the younger generation to learn the native language correctly, thoroughly, and on a scientific basis:
“A person who does not love their language cannot know their history. And one who does not know their history can never be a patriot — they will not possess the feelings and emotions of patriotism.”

Mazahir Afandiyev, the author is a member of the Azerbaijani Parliament