Azernews.Az

President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), Academician Isa Habibbeyli, has met with the President of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, Professor Najeeba Arif, to discuss the development of academic and literary ties between the two countries.

According to ANAS, Habibbeyli said Pakistan had always been a friendly and brotherly country to Azerbaijan, adding that close relations between the two heads of state had helped establish and expand cooperation between Azerbaijan and Pakistan across various fields, including science.

He noted that ANAS has conducted research on Pakistani literature as part of growing academic cooperation between the two countries.

Habibbeyli said the Institute of Literature of ANAS had translated Muhammad Iqbal's Selected Works into Azerbaijani. He also highlighted the translation into Urdu of the Azerbaijani epic Kitabi-Dada Gorgud and his own book, The Great Azerbaijani Poet Nizami Ganjavi. Presentations of the Urdu editions had subsequently been held in Pakistan.

The ANAS president added that works by the Pakistani Sufi poet Sultan Bahu had also been translated by the Institute of Literature and were currently awaiting publication.

Habibbeyli further noted that ANAS maintains extensive ties with the Pakistan Academy of Letters, Lahore College University, the Pakistan Muslim Institute, Sindh University and other academic institutions.

He said the Pakistan Literature Centre was currently operating at the Institute of Literature of ANAS, while the Azerbaijan Literature Centre was functioning at Lahore College University.

Habibbeyli also proposed holding a joint event as part of the 12th Baku International Book Fair, which is scheduled to take place in October.

Arif welcomed the development of scientific and literary relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan, describing the proposal for a joint event during the Baku International Book Fair as a positive initiative.

She said joint events contributed to deepening and expanding academic ties between the two countries.

Arif also noted that translation work on the history of Azerbaijani literature was continuing at the Pakistan Academy of Letters.