PhD, Associate Professor Laman Suleymanova, the leading researcher at the Department of Folklore of Turkic Peoples of the Institute of Folklore of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) made a presentation on the collection and study of the folklore of Western Azerbaijan at the 1^st International Scientific Conference on “Return to Western Azerbaijan: As a New Stage of the National Idea,” jointly organized by Baku State University and the Western Azerbaijan Community.

In her presentation, the researcher noted that the systematic collection of the folklore of Western Azerbaijan had been initiated only in recent years. A substantial body of valuable folklore material had already been documented and a significant portion of these materials had been published and introduced into academic circulation. She mentioned that the process of collecting new folklore materials continued through meetings and interviews with Western Azerbaijanis currently residing in different regions of Azerbaijan.

The speaker noted that the newly documented variants were of considerable importance for a more comprehensive study of folklore texts. Among the collected materials were plots, motifs and characters that had not previously been recorded in Azerbaijani folklore studies, thereby opening new avenues for research into the folklore heritage of Western Azerbaijan.

In conclusion, it was noted that the collected materials provide a clearer picture of the rich cultural heritage and folklore environment of Western Azerbaijan. It was mentioned that the policies of deportation and occupation affected not only the historical homeland, but also caused severe damage to the cultural memory that had developed within those territories. In this regard, the collection, scholarly study, preservation and transmission of the folklore of Western Azerbaijan to future generations were identified as among the most important academic and cultural responsibilities.