Abulfaz Garayev: Russian language - integral part of Azerbaijani culture

Azerbaijani writers are widely represented in Russian bookshops, as well as Russian writers in Azerbaijani bookshops, Azerbaijani Culture Minister Abulfaz Garayev said, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza today on the sidelines of the opening of the 6th Baku International Book Fair in Baku. This year the exhibition is dedicated to the 650th anniversary of great Azerbaijani poet Imadaddin Nasimi.

"At present, Azerbaijani publishers participate in all international book fairs, as well as large book events are held in Baku," the minister said in the first place, adding that the of Azerbaijani literature translated into Turkish can be found in all bookstores in Turkey.

Books of Azerbaijani writers are no less common in Russia. "Azerbaijani writers are widely published in Russia, with books in Russian. Today, their presence on the bookshelves of Russian stores is a reality," Abulfaz Garayev noted.

“In turn, Russian books and books in Russian are popular in Azerbaijan. For example, the classic novel 'Ali and Nino' by Kurban Said is mainly sold in Russian. Everyone reads books in Russian, and many textbooks in Russian are used for study. The Russian language is an integral part of the Azerbaijani culture," he said.

"In general, Azerbaijani literature is part of the world literature. We carry out activities related to the translation of books by authors from partner countries into Azerbaijani and vice versa, we translate Azerbaijani literature into their languages. The process is underway, the most important thing is to have readers,” the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan concluded.

The 6th Baku International Book Fair will last three days. Publishers from 22 countries, including Russian ones, are expected to take part in the fair, during which about 60 different presentations, master classes and seminars will be held.