On the 26^th of May the national scientific conference titled “National Statehood and Folklore” dedicated to the “Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty” was held at the initiative of the Institute of Folklore of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS).

The event took place at the Central Scientific Library of ANAS and was attended by the President of ANAS, academician Isa Habibbeyli, the member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Chairman of the Western Azerbaijan Community, Aziz Alekberli, the members of the Presidium of ANAS, directors of institutes, staff members of the Institute of Folklore and media representatives.

At the beginning of the conference the participants laid flowers at the bust of National Leader Heydar Aliyev located in the Central Scientific Library and honored his memory with great respect.

In his opening speech, the President of ANAS, academician Isa Habibbeyli, mentioned that 2025 had been declared the “Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty” by the decree of President Ilham Aliyev, in recognition of the full restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, the 30^th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution and the 5^th anniversary of the Victory in the Patriotic War. He noted that numerous events were being held in accordance with the approved action plan and highlighted the important role of folklore in shaping national statehood consciousness, highly appreciating the conference and the presentation of significant and original reports.

The head of ANAS described the organization of the event within the framework of the “Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty” as a significant socio-political event. He mentioned that the conference holds particular importance in terms of identifying the key objectives facing sovereign Azerbaijan in the modern era, advancing the science of folklore studies and educating future generations in the spirit of sovereignty.

Then, Director of the Institute of Folklore of ANAS, Associate Professor Hikmat Guliyev greeted the participants on behalf of the Institute’s staff and spoke about the strategic and scientific significance of holding the conference on “National Statehood and Folklore” within the framework of the “Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty.”

The scholar noted that the theoretical and applied research conducted at the Institute of Folklore essentially encompasses the system of values that form the core pillars of statehood, independence, and sovereignty such as national identity, national ideology and traditional thinking. He mentioned that one of the main priorities of national folklore studies is to explore, both diachronically and synchronically, the role of traditional knowledge institutions in shaping and developing concepts of statehood, governance and overall state-society relations.

Director of the Institute, Associate Professor Hikmat Guliyev mentioned that in the modern era under conditions of digital transformation the topic of national statehood and folklore carries particular significance. He added the importance of preserving national identity as one of the key components of cybersecurity and cyber sovereignty.

Then the speech was given to the speakers such as Doctor of Sciences Sarkhan Khaveri, Professor Afzaladdin Asgar and Professor Tahira Mammad. At the end, the speakers of the plenary session were awarded certificates.

The conference continued its work in the section meetings.