How will the issue raised by the president be resolved? – Is there a mechanism?

Speaking at the meeting dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences on November 3, President Ilham Aliyev also addressed the issue of preserving the Azerbaijani language and expressed some of his concerns.

The head of state said:

“Ten years ago, I spoke from this podium about the Azerbaijani language as well and expressed my concerns. I can say that necessary steps have been taken in this direction over the last 10 years. But if I were to say that the situation completely satisfies me, of course, that would not be sincere. Azerbaijani is a very rich language. Today, Azerbaijani is the mother tongue for over 50 million people. However, the protectors of the pure, clean, literary Azerbaijani language are us – the independent Azerbaijani state. I regularly familiarize myself with and keep attention to the situation in various regions where Azerbaijanis live and take necessary measures. I see that in some places our literary language is lost among Azerbaijanis living in other countries. It is used more as a household language and is filled with foreign words. Therefore, if we do not protect our language, keep it pure and clean, we may slowly lose our language. For every nation and people, their mother tongue is the fundamental factor of their national identity, and all public activists and the entire society should focus on this point. Our language is ancient. Again, I say, it is the mother tongue for more than 50 million people, it is very rich, and there is no need for foreign words. It is true that there is international lexicon and each of us uses that lexicon. But if there is an original word in Azerbaijani, what is the purpose of bringing a word from another language to replace it? This is either wrong or provocational. Both are unacceptable.

Protecting the purity of the Azerbaijani language should be the responsibility of every Azerbaijani citizen. That is, the state, scientists, linguists, writers, poets, journalists, and those involved in politics should pay great attention to this issue. Again, I say, 10 years ago I raised this issue because it worried me. During the last ten years, appropriate steps were taken so that we could protect our language from foreign words. However, I still hear from various sources — on television, in written media, and in some people's speeches — that there is no need for this. If we, as a people and a nation, do not protect our language, our national identity may slowly deteriorate. I am sure that my words will reach everyone, and I myself will continually be involved in this issue, watch it, and take the necessary measures. I also call on Azerbaijani scholars to show their own attitude and support on this matter.”

Medianews.az reminds that on July 31, 2025, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on additions to the “Charter of the Ministry of Culture.” According to the decree, the following duties were also included among the ministry's responsibilities:

- To carry out supervision over the application of the Azerbaijani language in the relevant field, compliance with the normative legal acts regarding the Azerbaijani language, including compliance with norms of the Azerbaijani language;

- To ensure the development of the Azerbaijani language, as well as the promotion and introduction of Azerbaijani literature abroad and foreign literature within the Republic of Azerbaijan.

As can be seen, the supervision of compliance with the normative legal acts regarding the Azerbaijani language, including the norms of the Azerbaijani language, has been entrusted to the Ministry of Culture.

In September, the Medianews.az website sent an inquiry to the Ministry of Culture regarding what steps arising from the President’s July 31 decree the ministry has taken and what events it plans to implement. At that time, in response to the site’s inquiry, the Ministry of Culture stated that to ensure the implementation of the decree, first of all, the improvement of mechanisms for applying the Azerbaijani language and controlling compliance with normative legal acts and language norms, strengthening cooperation and consultations with relevant state bodies in the direction of the development and purification of the Azerbaijani language are envisaged.

How should the mechanism for applying the Azerbaijani language and controlling compliance with normative legal acts and language norms be?

Is there a need to improve the legal framework, make additions to laws, define official warnings, fines, and other types of responsibilities, and apply punishments and sanctions? What specific proposals can be put forward regarding the establishment of an effective control mechanism and the application of sanctions?

Responding to Medianews.az’s questions on the topic, writer, publicist, screenwriter, and translator Nariman Abdurrahmanli stated that the issue raised by President Ilham Aliyev ten years ago and also now regarding the protection of the purity of our language remains relevant: “Unfortunately, during the elapsed period, sufficiently effective work was not done in this direction, even the duty of preserving the language’s purity turned into an open and hidden confrontation between institutions, and as a result, conceptual issues were not implemented. I would like to believe that the Ministry of Culture will create order in this field, but I do not see such an opportunity of the ministry. In my opinion, there is no mechanism coordinating the activities of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Linguistics named after Nasimi, the Terminology Committee, the Language Monitoring Center, moreover, the Press Council and Radio-Television Council. The active intervention of the councils, committee, and center in the situation is not felt.