Community chair: Historical narrative on Western Azerbaijan must be reclaimed

Aziz Alakbarli, Chairman of the Western Azerbaijan Community (WAC), emphasised the urgent need to study historical texts and uncover the truth about Western Azerbaijan during the presentation of the book “Theme of Western Azerbaijan in the newspaper ‘Azerbaijan’ (September 1918 – October 1919)”.

According to local media, Alakbarli noted that today, very few Azerbaijani intellectuals are capable of reading and interpreting literature and press materials written in the old alphabet from the period of 1918 to the early 1920s.

He described Azerbaijan’s frequent alphabet reforms as “one of the greatest tragedies of the nation,” pointing out how this disrupted the nation’s ability to access and study its historical records.

Highlighting the value of early 20th-century publications, Alakbarli argued that they often reflected the realities of their time more clearly than the official press during the years 1988 to 1992.

“Back then, the press was not completely free, and development was slow. But today we are developing, and we have the strength to reveal both the texts in the old alphabet and the truth about Western Azerbaijan,” he said.

He concluded by stressing the need for intensified efforts in historical research and information dissemination: “We have to create in five years what Armenians have been disseminating in the form of propaganda materials for a whole century.”

By Tamilla Hasanova