“Now they sometimes say that the Meydan rallies, the Popular Front were organized by the KGB. That’s not true. A million and a half people gathered in the square. Could the KGB organize that?! No! It was literature that brought the nation to the square, it was the power of the Word.”
These words were said by People’s Poet, Chairman of the Party of Civic Solidarity, Sabir Rustamkhanli, at an event held today at the Yunus Emre Institute of Turkey. He stated that in the 1960s and 70s, regular meetings were held with writers, poets, artists, and masters of words in universities, student dormitories, factories, and other collectives, and national issues, the problems of the nation, and national identity feelings were discussed at those meetings, and the halls and walls were shaking. According to the People’s Poet, as a result of such meetings, when the Karabakh issue arose, national feelings brought the people to the squares.
Sabir Rustamkhanli said: “The word has a very great power of influence, literature should not be weakened or diminished”.
At the opening ceremony of this literary meeting called “Bridge of Words”, the head of the Yunus Emre Institute Gökhan Seyhan, the pro-rector of the Pedagogical University, professor Mahira Naghigizi, Honored Art Worker, poet Baba Veziroglu, poet-publicist Kamala Abiyeva, poet, editor-in-chief of the “Ulduz” magazine Gulu Agsäs, poet Ayaz Arabachi, editor-in-chief of the “Güftə” magazine published in Turkey Vali Ay, writer-publicist, Honored Journalist Zemfira Maharramli, well-known actor, recitation master Kamran Yunus, writer Rovshan Abdullaoglu, writer-publicist Bahaddin Hazi, writer Tarana Vahid spoke.
One of the main ideas emphasized at the meeting was that the heads of Turkic states come together from time to time and make important decisions to develop Turkic unity. However, the literatures and cultures of the Turkic peoples cannot establish sufficiently close ties with each other.
Interesting ideas were expressed at the meeting about the common language of communication of the common Turkic peoples, the common alphabet, and bringing the literature of the Turkic peoples to world platforms.
At the event, three authors were awarded in the short story nomination. Also, the presentation of the anthology “From the Caspian to the Mediterranean” was held. Then the literary meeting continued with panel sessions.
The organizers of the meeting, poet Aysel Nasirzadeh and poet, head of the VHP Women’s Wing Aysel Khanlargizi Safarli, thanked the guests and participants.