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Laman Ismayilova

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Albania's Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Besart Kadia has visited the Azerbaijan National Library, Azernews reports.

It was noted that the Director of the National Library, Professor Kerim Tahirov, briefed the guest on the library’s activities. He stated that the National Library, with a collection of nearly five million books, maintains book exchanges with national libraries in 90 countries and has signed memoranda of mutual cooperation with national libraries from 54 countries.

Kerim Tahirov provided detailed information on the library's operations and projects, noting that a memorandum of cooperation between the National Libraries of Azerbaijan and Albania was signed in 2022.

The director particularly emphasized that an Azerbaijani Literature Section was opened at the Albanian National Library in 2025, and informed the ambassador that a similar section had been established at the Azerbaijan National Library two years earlier.

The Ambassador Besart Kadia stated that he would support the expansion of cooperation and international book exchange between the National Libraries of Azerbaijan and Albania and Azerbaijan.

Besart Kadia expressed his readiness to cooperate at all times and stressed the importance of organizing presentations at the National Library of Azerbaijan of books by Albanian writers and poets published by the embassy in Turkish and Azerbaijani.

The meeting also included an exchange of views on cooperation in the fields of professional experience-sharing between library specialists of both countries, as well as the preservation, digitization, and inclusion in academic circulation of books and manuscripts held by libraries.

At the end of the meeting, the director presented the guest with books about Azerbaijan.

The guests then toured the Azerbaijan National Library and expressed their high appreciation of the library.

The Albanian National Library was founded on July 10, 1920 and officially inaugurated on December 10, 1922 in the capital city of Tirana.

The library's initial collection at the time of inauguration consisted of about 6,000 volumes, and over the decades its holdings grew significantly. By the end of World War II the collection had expanded to around 15,000 volumes, and by the late 1940s it reached roughly 100,000 items. In the years that followed, the collection continued to grow and today comprises more than one million items, including books, periodicals, maps, atlases, microfilms, and other materials.

From its earliest years, the National Library has served as Albania's main repository for the written cultural heritage of the nation. It functions under the authority of the Ministry of Culture and plays a leading role in organizing library education, continuing professional development, and national bibliographic services. Among its responsibilities are cataloguing national publications, preserving rare and historical materials, and providing public access to research resources.

The institution also participates in international library organizations and digital initiatives, and its services include an online public access catalogue (OPAC), digitized collections, exhibitions, book launches, conferences, and cultural events.

With over 5 million books, manuscripts, and maps, the Azerbaijan National Library is considered one of the largest libraries in the Caucasus region. Since 1939, the library has borne the name of the eminent playwright Mirza Fatali Akhundov.

The library has an extensive collection of literature in Azerbaijani, Russian, English, and other languages. It has collected and preserved national editions, works of Azerbaijani and foreign authors about Azerbaijan published abroad.

The National Leader, Heydar Aliyev, visited the National Library four times in 1995-1997 and donated nearly 300 books from his personal library.

In 2004, the Mirza Fatali Akhundov Library was granted the status of a national library by the decision of Azerbaijan's Cabinet of Ministers.

The building of the library is no less impressive. The library's faсade is decorated with the statues of eminent poets and writers like Nizami Ganjavi, Mahsati Ganjavi, Uzeyir Hajibayli, Shota Rustaveli, Alexander Pushkin and many others.

The scope of the library's activities is constantly expanding. In 2005, on the basis of legal copies received from publishing houses and printing companies, the library published the yearbook "Books of Azerbaijan" for 1990, 1991, 2000, and 2001.

Over the past years, the National Library has signed a memorandum on bilateral mutual cooperation with about 80 libraries.

In 2021, the Culture Ministry and Mirza Fatali Akhundov Library launched a joint campaign, "Let's go to Garabagh with a book", to restore libraries in the Garabagh region.

A large number of books were donated to the Garabagh Book Fund by a number of international organizations working in the field of culture, Turkic-speaking countries, famous foreign and local authors, publishers, and printing houses.

In 2025, Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) was officially signed between the National Libraries of Tajikistan and Azerbaijan during a ceremony held in Dushanbe.

The agreement was inked by the director of the Azerbaijani National Library, Karim Tahirov, and the director of the Tajikistan National Library, Farzalizada Jumakhon.

This memorandum provides a framework for enhanced collaboration between the two institutions, emphasising the exchange of books, publications, and other cultural materials to foster mutual understanding and strengthen the cultural ties between the two nations.

It also sets the stage for joint activities and projects aimed at promoting literacy, preserving cultural heritage, and supporting scholarly research.