BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 6. Deputy Chairman
of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, Vagif Seyidbayov, held a series of meetings during his
working visit to Canada, Trend reports via the committee.


Seyidbayov closely familiarized himself with the activities of
the Toronto Azerbaijan House. Head of the Azerbaijan House and the
“Vatan” Azerbaijan Art and Culture Center, Lalin Hasanova, provided
detailed information on the center’s work and its upcoming
plans.


The meeting emphasized that Azerbaijan Houses operating in
various countries around the world play a special role in
networking compatriots, preventing feelings of isolation far from
the homeland, and fostering national unity among the younger
generation. The deputy chair also visited the “My Azerbaijan”
weekend school operating under the Azerbaijan House. Students
proudly said that they have made Azerbaijani friends at the school,
learned their mother tongue, and performed national dances of
Azerbaijan at festivals and events. Teachers spoke about the
indispensable role of weekend schools in educating young
compatriots in a national spirit and preserving and promoting
Azerbaijan’s rich culture, expressing gratitude to the Azerbaijani
state for its attention and care toward compatriots abroad.


As part of the visit, a meeting was held with the Azerbaijani
community in Canada. The deputy chairman noted that large-scale
projects organized with the support of the committee in various
countries are aimed at strengthening solidarity among compatriots.
Participants shared proposals on building strong ties within the
community, creating mutual support mechanisms, and facilitating the
adaptation of newly arrived compatriots in Canada. Community elders
thanked the committee for its support in preserving national
identity and the mother tongue among Azerbaijanis living in
Canada.







Seyidbayov also visited the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at
the University of Toronto. He reviewed works written in the
Azerbaijani language, rare books by Azerbaijani authors translated
into other languages, including a manuscript of Nizami Ganjavi’s
Iqbalnama (The Book of Iqbal, also known as the Book of Fortune)
dating back to 1517, the first Tabriz-printed edition of Fuzuli’s
“Leyli and Majnun,” and illuminated copies of the Holy Quran from
the 18th century. Lala Javanshir, who oversees the University of
Toronto’s Near and Middle Eastern and Islamic world book
collections, provided information on how Azerbaijan’s cultural
heritage is represented and preserved at the university.


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