Baku State University’s (BSU) History Department recently hosted the 5th International Scientific Conference, "World Azerbaijanis: History and Modernity."

Opening the event, Professor Ibrahim Zeynalov, Dean of the History Department, emphasized the crucial role of national ideology in fostering global Azerbaijani solidarity. He highlighted the ideology of Azerbaijanism—first introduced by national leader Heydar Aliyev—as a unifying framework that upholds both national and universal values. According to Zeynalov, the study of key issues such as territorial identity, demographic shifts, historical migrations, and the impact of displacement and genocide remains of great significance.

To support this research, BSU’s History Department established the "World Azerbaijanis: Historical Demography" laboratory in 1994. The first scientific conference on this theme was held in 1997, and since 2016, the event has been co-organized with the State Committee for Work with Diaspora.

This year’s conference expanded its scope to include discussions on post-war reconstruction efforts in Karabakh, as well as the historical, political, and ethnodemographic dynamics of Western Azerbaijan. The event brought together local scholars and international experts from Turkey, Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, and other countries.

Prominent figures, including department heads Yagub Makhmudov, Mehman Abdullayev, and Milli Majlis deputy Nagif Khamzayev, addressed the audience, contributing valuable insights to the discussions.

The conference proceeded with sessions across 10 specialized sections, facilitating in-depth academic exchange on these critical topics.