A regular meeting of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Folklore of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences was held. The meeting, conducted in a hybrid format, was attended by members of the Scientific Council and relevant individuals in connection with the issues on the agenda.

Opening the meeting with an introductory speech, Director of the Institute of Folklore, Doctor of Sciences in Philology Hikmat Guliyev, provided information on the issues included in the agenda. He noted that, in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, dated April 9, 2018, March 27 is celebrated annually in the country as “Science Day.” The scholar mentioned that the establishment of Science Day was of particular importance in terms of recognizing the work of scientists and specialists engaged in scientific activity, promoting science, evaluating achievements in various fields of Azerbaijani science, identifying future development directions and organizing scientific events.

Then, Scientific Secretary, PhD in Philology, Associate Professor Elchin Abbasov, provided information on the proposed changes to the composition of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Folklore. During the discussions a decision was adopted to submit a petition to the Humanities Division of ANAS regarding the inclusion of Associate Professor Tajir Gurbanov, Head of the Department of Ashiq Creativity of the Institute of Folklore and doctoral student Jamila Novruzova, newly elected Chair of the Council of Young Scientists and Specialists, in the composition of the Scientific Council.

The meeting also discussed the books planned for publication by the institute in 2026. Subsequently, the implementation status of the tasks in the 2026 activity plan of the institute’s research departments was reviewed. Heads of departments provided information on articles planned for publication in international scientific journals and those under editorial review, the improvement of scient metric indicators, the organization of scientific seminars within departments, as well as participation in international scientific conferences.

During the continuation of the meeting, institute employees whose anniversaries were celebrated, were awarded letters of appreciation. PhD, Associate Professor Tajir Gurbanov, PhD, Associate Professor Tahir Orujov, PhD, Associate Professor Chichek Afandiyeva, PhD, Associate Professor Vafa Ibrahim and Senior Researcher Akifa Khalilova were congratulated for their long-term scientific activities.

At the end, participants exchanged views on the development of the scientific activity of the Institute of Folklore, the expansion of international scientific cooperation and the future prospects of Azerbaijani folklore studies. The meeting concluded with the adoption of relevant decisions on the issues on the agenda.