On 18–19 June 2026, the “Return to Western Azerbaijan” Congress-Festival is being held in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, jointly organized by the Office of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Nakhchivan State University, and the Western Azerbaijan Community.
    
The event, held in the city of Ordubad, renowned for its ancient history and rich cultural heritage, is being attended by the Director of the Presidential Library, Professor Afet Abbasova, and members of the Library’s staff.
 
As part of the festival programme on 18 June, the Director of the Presidential Library, Professor Afet Abbasova, emphasized in her speech that the theme of Western Azerbaijan occupies an important place in the historical memory of the Azerbaijani people, in the formation of national identity, and in the preservation of the nation’s cultural and spiritual heritage. She noted that the Concept of Return to Western Azerbaijan serves to communicate historical truths to the international community and to defend the right of our compatriots to return safely, peacefully, and with dignity to their ancestral homeland. Professor Abbasova also highlighted that the political course established by National Leader Heydar Aliyev is being successfully continued by President Ilham Aliyev and that the study and promotion of the realities of Western Azerbaijan have become one of the priority directions of state policy. 
 
The Presidential Library’s extensive electronic project “Western Azerbaijan” was then presented. Designed for a broad international audience, the electronic resource is available in Azerbaijani, English, and Russian and is based on substantial archival materials, historical documents, maps, and other reliable sources.
   
The project provides comprehensive coverage of the centuries-old history of Western Azerbaijan, the successive deportations of Azerbaijanis from their historical lands, the deliberate policy of altering historical Azerbaijani toponyms, and acts of vandalism committed against historical, architectural, and cultural heritage sites.
   
The electronic resource features information on tangible cultural heritage, important historical documents, maps, and prominent personalities, as well as E-Library, Bibliography, Photo Gallery, and Filmography sections containing hundreds of scholarly studies.

The project presentation attracted considerable interest among the participants in the Congress-Festival.

This electronic resource, developed by the staff of the Presidential Library, is of significant importance for the scholarly study, systematization, and international dissemination of the historical realities of Western Azerbaijan. In addition to serving as a reliable digital information resource on the subject, the project constitutes a valuable source for researchers, specialists, and a broad readership.