It is planned to develop scientific cooperation in new directions between the Institute of Folklore of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) and the Institute of Uzbek Language, Literature and Folklore of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Director of the ANAS Institute of Folklore, Doctor of Sciences in Philology Hikmat Guliyev made these remarks in an interview with AZERTAC.

He noted that an international scientific conference on “Problems of the Comparative Study of the Folklore of the Turkic Peoples” is planned to be held in November this year under the joint organization of the two academic institutions. In addition, a monograph on comparative folklore studies is envisaged to be prepared in 2027–2028 through the joint efforts of Azerbaijani and Uzbek folklore scholars, based on the oral folk literature materials of the two peoples.

Hikmat Guliyev noted that, in line with the strategic course defined by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan relations are expected to acquire broader dimensions in the coming years.

The director of the Institute mentioned that the folklore of the Azerbaijani and Uzbek peoples is not only a rich repository of collective memory connecting the pasts of the two nations, but also an important cultural resource for jointly shaping the future.

Hikmat Guliyev expressed confidence that mutual trust, common historical and cultural roots, the political will of the heads of state will enable Azerbaijan–Uzbekistan cooperation in folklore studies to develop into broader scientific, cultural and institutional projects. According to him, this cooperation will also make an important contribution to the systematic study of the common Turkic cultural heritage.

The forthcoming projects will not be limited to individual scientific events but will lay the foundation for long-term and systematic cooperation between Azerbaijani and Uzbek folklore scholars. According to him, conducting joint research, studying and publishing folklore materials through mutual collaboration, establishing scientific databases and involving young researchers in joint projects will contribute to further strengthening ties between the folklore studies schools of the two countries.