The Bill ‘On the Town of Shusha, the Cultural Capital of Azerbaijan’ was tabled for the first reading at the joint meeting of the Milli Majlis committees for culture, for law policy and state-building, for economic policy, industries and enterprising, and for regional affairs on 24 May.

First Deputy Chair of the Milli Majlis and Chairman of the Law Policy and State-Building Committee Ali Huseynli as well as representatives of the concerned governmental departments took part in the meeting.

First, there was a moment of silence in treasured memory of the shahids fallen in the 44-day Patriotic War. Then, Chair of the Culture Committee Ganira Pashayeva presented the Bill consisting of 15 articles. Mrs Pashayeva remarked that the year 2020 was etched in the memory of the Azerbaijani people as the year of restored historical justice, of victory – the Year of Triumph. Mrs Pashayeva did not omit to cite the exceptional input in the triumph from Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev who carries into life the covenants of the Great Leader as well as from the victorious Azerbaijani Army.

The meeting participants were told that the Bill envisaged establishing the Town of Shusha State Preserve within the administrative boundaries of Shusha. The Bill is intended to regulate such matters as the main vectors of state policy in the town of Shusha; legal regulation within the Shusha territory and within its preserved zone; restoration, preservation, study, use and popularisation of monuments; environmental protection; building, architectural and city-planning activities in Shusha; transport organisation; administration of residential properties; business, tourism and other operations; conducting international-level events in Shusha; and several other as important matters.

The historical, political and moral uniqueness of Shusha’s liberation from occupation for the global Azerbaijanism and for the whole Turkic World was accentuated in the course of the extended deliberations that followed. The speakers referred to the history of progress of this ancient town and its role in the political and cultural life of Azerbaijan from the heritage viewpoint. They also stressed that the town was the conservatoire and cultural hub of the South Caucasus. The Bill put up for consideration was appraised highly; the commenters indicated the conceptual perfection of its composition.

First Deputy Chair of the Milli Majlis and Chairman of the Law Policy and State-Building Committee Ali Huseynli remarked that a document of extreme importance in our history of legislation was about to be enacted. That the status of Shusha will be determined by means of a dedicated law is going to be a remarkable occurrence in the field of state-building, in the opinion of Mr Huseynli.

Chairman of the Economic Policy, Industries and Enterprising Committee Tahir Mirkishili offered an opinion that the inclusion of economic articles in the draft law was going to enliven the town economically and attract investors to it. At the same time, this fact would eventually turn Shusha into a centre for innovative solutions and an example for other Azerbaijani towns to go by.  

To Siyavush Novruzov, Chairman of the Committee for Regional Affairs, the enactment and enforcement of such laws will in time make Shusha one of the leading towns of not only the region but Europe as a whole whilst also making it one of the European culture hubs.

The deputy committee chairmen Gudrat Hasanguliyev, Fazil Mustafa, Ali Masimli and Elshan Musayev and the MPs Nizami Jafarov, Sabir Rustamkhanli, Javanshir Feyziyev, Aziz Alakbarov and Novruzali Aslanov talked about the merits of the Bill. They also put forth several suggestions.

Those who also expressed their attitude to the document were Chairman of the Management Board of the Garabagh Revival Foundation Rahman Hajiyev, Deputy Minister for Ecology and Natural Resources Vugar Karimov, Chief of Staff of the State City-Planning and Architecture Committee Rashad Ismayilov, Chief of Staff of the State Tourism Agency Kanan Gasimov, Chairman of the Board of the DOST Agency Farid Mammadov, Chief of Staff of the State Agency for Citizens’ Service and Social Innovations under the auspices of the President of the Azerbaijan Republic Fuad Garayev and First Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Small and Medium Enterprising Development Agency Natig Hasanov. Those, besides, let the MPs know the remarks and suggestions of their own.

In the end, after the deliberations, it was decided to recommend that the Bill ‘On the Town of Shusha, the Cultural Capital of Azerbaijan’, a crucial document in the national legislation history, should be tabled for the first reading at a plenary sitting of the Milli Majlis.

The Press and Public Relations
Department The Milli Majlis