Baku: President Ilham Aliyev highlighted the richness and ancient roots of the Azerbaijani language during his speech at the conference marking the 80th anniversary of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. He asserted that the language, which serves as the mother tongue for over 50 million people, is sufficiently rich, negating the need for foreign words.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, President Aliyev acknowledged the existence of an international lexicon that many people utilize. However, he questioned the rationale behind replacing original Azerbaijani words with foreign terms when suitable native words exist. He described such replacements as either mistakes or provocations, both of which he deemed unacceptable.