On May 16, 2018, the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SAM) has held the international conference titled "National Unity, Historical Legacy and the Challenges of 21st Century" dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR).
The conference started with the opening remarks delivered by SAM`s director Farhad Mammadov. In the first panel on "Azerbaijan in the Beginning of the 20th and 21st centuries: National Memory and the Challenges of the History" moderated by the head of the SAM`s Foreign Policy Analysis department Javid Valiyev, the deputy director of the Institute of International Relations, History and Oriental Studies at the Kazan Federal University (Russia) Diliara Usmanova; head of the BSU`s Source Studies, historiography and methods department Dr. Anar Isgandarov; SAM`s head of Domestic policy analysis department Dr. Tahira Allahyarova and Sabahaddin Shimshir ( Balikesir University) have delivered the speeches on the ADR`s glorious history.
The second panel dedicated to the topic of "Azerbaijan Democratic Republic: the Way From an Idea Into the Reality" moderated by Tahira Allahyarova, Dr. Salavat Iskhakov from Russian Academy of Sciences; Leading Research fellow of the ANAS Institute of Eastern Studies Solmaz Rustamova-Tohidi; the representative of the Middle Eastern Studies department of the University of Manchester Dr. Denis Volkov; head of ANAS`s department of History of the Caucasus Irada Bagırova, as well as head of Department at the Presidential Library Nazim Mustafa have taken the floor.
Dr. Farhad Jabbarov from the ANAS Museum of History, Jalal Gasimov, head of department in the Academy of State Security Service named after Haydar Aliyev, Enis Shahin (Sakarya University), and ANAS`s researchers Dr. Nigar Gozalova and Dr. Ilgar Niftaliyev were the panelist of the third panel titled, "The First Democratic and Secular State in the East: the Establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic is a Historical Event of Universal Importance" moderated by SAM`S Leading Research fellow Araz Gurbanov.