Avarians claim autonomy within Azerbaijan

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Institute of Oriental Studies at the RA Academy of Sciences and Mitk analytical center initiated an international conference titled "The state system of Caucasian Albania and its ethnic and cultural heritage."



Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies, Professor Ruben Safrastyan said the topic is both of scientific and political interest. "The state system of medieval Caucasian Albania needs serious and impartial investigation and I am hopeful that scientists from Azerbaijan will join our work," he said.



According to Mitk head Eduard Abrahamyan, examination of the past and present of Caucasian Albania and Albanian peoples will lead to a better understanding of modern ethno-political processes in the Caucasus.



For his part, Armenian political scientist Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan told a PanARMENIAN.Net that participation of representatives of Dagestani peoples will help to understand the problems of their self-identity in Azerbaijan. "The conference is rather a political than academic event. This can be proved by the statement of Dagestani Avarians who claim autonomy within Azerbaijan," he said.



Professor of Dagestani State University Timur Aytberov said Baku pursues a policy of extermination of aborigine Dagestani peoples residing in some regions of Azerbaijan. "The Avarian people are going to assert their rights by all legal ways including the experience of Celtic peoples," he said.



Caucasian Albania, also known as Alvank in Armenian, Ardhan in Parthian, Arran in Persian and Al-Ran in Arabic was an ancient kingdom, which existed on the territory of present-day Republic of Azerbaijan and southern Dagestan. The name "Albania" is Latin, and denotes "mountainous land". The native name for the country is unknown.



The population of Caucasian Albania descends from the union of 26 tribes speaking various dialects of the Nakh-Dagestani family of languages. The only known Albanian language is the Alvan or Gargarean language.



According to Movses Kaghankatvatzi, the Albanian alphabet was invented by Mesrob Mashtots, an Armenian monk, theologian and linguist.