On the 15^th of October in 2026 the presentation ceremony for thr book “Sındırılmış saz, yandırılmış aşıq” (A broken saz, a burned ashiq), authored by researcher and journalist Araz Yaguboglu, was held at the administrative building of the Western Azerbaijan Community. Speaking at the event, Hikmat Guliyev, Director of the Institute of Folklore of ANAS and Doctor of Sciences in Philology, discussed the significance of the legacy of Ashiq Najaf in preserving national and cultural memory and strengthening the scholarly and cultural foundations of the Western Azerbaijan issue.

Hikmat Guliyev noted that, following Azerbaijan’s historic Victory in the Second Karabakh War in 2020, discussions concerning the country’s future development priorities and a new national idea had gained renewed relevance. For thirty years, Azerbaijan’s principal national objective had been the liberation of Karabakh from occupation. Following the Victory, however, the systematic study of other important dimensions of historical memory, including the Western Azerbaijan issue and communicating them to the public acquired particular significance.

The director of the Institute mentioned that President Ilham Aliyev’s participation in the opening of the administrative building of the Western Azerbaijan Community on 24 December 2022, together with the strategic objectives he outlined concerning the Western Azerbaijan issue, had ushered in a new phase of activity in this field.

Hikmat Guliyev noted that the tragic fate of Ashiq Najaf should be assessed not merely within the framework of an individual artist’s biography, but also in the broader context of historical and cultural memory of Goyche, the continuity of the ashiq tradition and the preservation of national heritage.

Hikmat Guliyev also highlighted the importance of studying the heritage of Western Azerbaijan in the comprehensive manner. He noted that relevant research was being conducted at the research institutions of ANAS to investigate various aspects of heritage of Western Azerbaijan. These efforts were of considerable importance for documenting historical and cultural heritage, incorporating it into scholarly discourse and preserving national memory.

Addressing the activities of the Institute of Folklore of ANAS in this area, Hikmat Guliyev mentioned that the Institute was carrying out comprehensive work on the collection, study and publication of the folklore of Western Azerbaijan. The collection and systematization of folklore materials, together with their scholarly analysis and publication, serve the purpose of preserving historical and cultural heritage.