On December 13, 2024, an international scientific-practical conference titled "From the Common Turkic Past to the Future: The Role of a Common Alphabet in Strengthening Turkic Relations" was held at the Neftchiler Campus of Khazar University, dedicated to the culture, language, and alphabet issues of the Turkic world. The purpose of the event was to promote common values in language, culture, and scientific cooperation among Turkic states, and to discuss the work being carried out towards the implementation of a common alphabet.

The conference opening was initiated by the coordinator of the Khazar University Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Folklore (ICAF), Assoc. Prof. Aynur Gazanfargizi. She recalled the shared cultural past of Turkic states and discussed the role of language and alphabet in integration. She also emphasized that such events are crucial for further strengthening relations within the Turkic world.

Khazar University's founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors and Trustees, Prof. Acad. Hamlet Isakhanli, noted in his speech that a common alphabet is an important means of strengthening both written communication and cultural unity among Turkic states, and highlighted the significance of joint scientific research and initiatives in this area.

Academician Nizami Jafarov, director of the Azerbaijan Atatürk Center and head of the General Linguistics Department at Baku State University, spoke about the historical development of Turkic languages. Drawing attention to the strategic importance of a common alphabet, he stated that this opens up significant opportunities for the Turkic world, both culturally and politically. Additionally, he emphasized that the common alphabet would create conditions for the revival of unified cultural values, similar to ancient Turkic states that previously used a common alphabet.

BSU Professor Gulu Maharramli noted the fundamental role of a common alphabet in preserving language and culture. He specifically highlighted the special importance of the phonetic and structural characteristics of the common alphabet for preserving smaller languages and dialects. He also noted that this approach would contribute to the global recognition of Turkic languages.

Prof. Öcal Oğuz, head of the UNESCO Turkish National Commission and chair of the Turkish Folklore Department at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, stated that the common alphabet creates new opportunities for transferring cultural values across generations and that international organization collaboration needs to be increased in this area. In his video message, Öcal Oğuz emphasized the importance of projects related to the use of a common alphabet in the digital environment.

Assoc. Prof. Nargiza Gulamova conveyed the well-wishes of Navai Innovations University's rector, Prof. Jurabek Movlanov. She also presented Uzbekistan's experience in this area, discussing the advantages of a common alphabet in education and evaluating it as a step that would expand knowledge exchange among Turkic states.

At the end of the opening session, the floor was given to Şükrü Haluk Akalın, former president of the Turkish Language Association and professor at Hacettepe University. Şükrü Haluk Akalın wished the conference participants success and presented his authored books to Hamlet Isakhanli.

Following the opening session, a plenary session was held, moderated by Academician Nizami Jafarov. The presentations in this session were dedicated to the technological and linguistic aspects of the common alphabet.

Prof. Şükrü Haluk Akalın presented on "The Role of Artificial Intelligence and Technology in Spreading the Common Alphabet in the Turkic World", and Prof. Erden Gajibekov, president of the International Kazakh Language Institution and Turkology Center, spoke on "Common Turkic Alphabet: Main and Current Problems". This was followed by presentations by Assoc. Prof. Elchin Ibrahimov from Karabakh University's Science Department and Ali Shamil from ANAS Folklore Institute's International Relations Department.

The conference continued with section meetings. Kyrgyz turkologist Prof. Burul Sagınbaeva, Azerbaijani turkologists Zamina Rustambayli and Kamala Alakbarli, Indian researcher Dr. Noushad Mancheri from Jamia Millia Islamia State University, Dr. Cazgül Cakakova and Dilber Jamali from Kyrgyzstan-Türkiye Manas University presented very interesting views during the section meetings.

At the conference's conclusion, participants noted that the implementation of a common alphabet could create broad opportunities not only in the fields of language and culture but also for political and economic cooperation. The agreements reached included proposals for creating working groups of specialists on the common alphabet and implementing joint scientific-practical projects in the future.

The artistic portion of the event featured a concert including performances by Khazar University's student choir and dance collective, as well as ashug music performed by Onur Aliyev.

Aydan Nasirli

Khazar University

Philology (English Language and Literature), 2nd year