The Azerbaijani diaspora around the world is growing stronger by the day, demonstrating solidarity and successfully integrating into the societies in which it lives. Azerbaijanis are achieving significant success across a wide range of fields in their countries of residence and are increasingly recognized as distinguished professionals in their respective areas of expertise.

The continued support and attention provided by the Azerbaijani state to Azerbaijani communities and compatriots living abroad, in accordance with the instructions of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, should be particularly highlighted as one of the key factors behind these achievements.

The restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, followed by the 5th Victory Congress of World Azerbaijanis held in Shusha, gave fresh impetus to the development of the diaspora movement. In his address to the 5th Victory Congress of World Azerbaijanis, President Ilham Aliyev outlined a clear vision for the future activities of the Azerbaijani diaspora and set important objectives before it. These developments further strengthened unity within the diaspora and encouraged Azerbaijanis around the world to demonstrate solidarity in support of the processes taking place in Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani state is also taking important steps to expand educational opportunities for compatriots living abroad. The Qarabagh weekend schools, established on the initiative of First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva, are operating successfully. More than 100 Azerbaijani weekend schools have now been established around the world, each provided with the necessary resources. The younger generation of Azerbaijanis living abroad can benefit from the educational opportunities offered by these schools, for which special textbooks have also been published.

Major states, particularly superpowers that have achieved significant scientific and technological advances, pursue “open-door” policies in an effort to attract highly skilled human capital. As a result, they seek to direct the global flow of talent towards themselves and gain an advantage from this process. Consequently, brain drain remains one of the most widely discussed and closely monitored issues worldwide.

Yet alongside the global movement of talent, another important phenomenon is increasingly being observed: the return of intellectual capital, or “brain gain.” What drives this process, and has Azerbaijan achieved any gains in this area?

Following President Ilham Aliyev’s recommendation at the Victory Congress to bring together the efforts of Azerbaijani scientists living abroad, the State Committee for Work with the Diaspora has emerged as one of the institutions actively contributing to this process and promoting brain gain. In recent years, the Committee has implemented a number of comprehensive initiatives in this field.

In line with these recommendations, the State Committee for Work with the Diaspora organized a meeting of Azerbaijani scientists from around the world in Istanbul, Türkiye. The meeting provided an opportunity for extensive discussions on the potential contribution of Azerbaijani scientists abroad to the development of their home country. Numerous scientists shared their views and proposals on how they could combine their knowledge, expertise and skills for the benefit of Azerbaijan.

They also discussed in detail the possibilities of implementing these initiatives in cooperation with the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan and other relevant institutions. Twenty scientists from 14 countries took part in the meeting, while Azerbaijani scientists from four additional countries joined the discussions online.

One of the particularly noteworthy aspects of the meeting was the emphasis placed on the importance of joint initiatives and cooperation between Turkish and Azerbaijani scientists living abroad.

The networking of Azerbaijani scientists abroad, the establishment of the Association of Azerbaijani Scientists Living in Türkiye (Azerbaycan Bilim İnsanları Derneği – ABİD), the creation of the World Union of Azerbaijani Scientists, and the organization of the Forum of Azerbaijani Scientists Living Abroad represent logical continuations of this work. More than 80 Azerbaijani scientists from 23 countries participated in the first forum.

Naturally, the support and attention of the Azerbaijani state towards the organization and networking of scientists living abroad remains a priority. The expectation is that, in the next stage, these scientists will contribute both to the societies and countries in which they live and to the development of Azerbaijan.

In this regard, it is particularly noteworthy that the appeal addressed to President Ilham Aliyev by participants of the Forum of Azerbaijani Scientists Living Abroad emphasized that the principal objective of the World Union of Azerbaijani Scientists is to provide every possible contribution to the development and progress of the Motherland.

The organization of forums bringing together Azerbaijani doctors, engineers, students and cultural figures living abroad is another important step towards strengthening their professional networks and organization. Similar forums have already been held in Europe and the United States.

These initiatives include the Forums of Azerbaijani Engineers Living in Europe, the Forum of Azerbaijani Cultural Envoys, the Forums of Azerbaijani Doctors in Germany, and the “Academia and Innovation Forum” at the University of California, Berkeley.

The “Diaspora Youth Summer Camp,” organized annually in Azerbaijan by the Committee, also plays an important role, albeit indirectly, in directing the attention of the future scientific potential developing abroad towards the Motherland. To date, more than 700 young people from 84 countries have participated in the camp.

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Today, numerous Azerbaijani scientists who are active in diaspora organizations and have earned considerable recognition in their respective fields in their countries of residence are making valuable contributions both to safeguarding Azerbaijan’s interests in the international arena and to the development of the country’s scientific potential.

Among them are Nazim Muradov (USA), Sevinj Mammadova (USA), Masud Efendiyev (Germany), Elhan Richard Sadikhzadeh (Germany), Bakhtiyar Siracov (Austria), Dinara Abbasova (Austria), Agshin Aliyev (China), Masud Ashina (Denmark), Aynur Guliyeva (France), Reyhan Hasanоva (France), Garib Murshudov (England), Saadat Karimi (Sweden), Ilham Akhundov (Canada), Sabina Iskandarova (Canada), Seymur Nasirov (Egypt), Nigar Masumova (Russia), Amirullah Mammadov (Türkiye), Akram Gurel (Türkiye), Chingiz Hajiyev (Türkiye), Teymur Rzayev (Türkiye), Mehdi Ganjali (Türkiye), Ilham Anvaroglu (Türkiye), Murad Omarov (Ukraine), Khalil Kalantar (Japan), as well as thousands of other Azerbaijani scientists whose names are not listed here.

They work at highly prestigious scientific and educational institutions around the world, make discoveries and inventions, and are elected as members of leading academic organizations.

Almost all of them are valuable members of Azerbaijani communities around the world. Through their professional achievements and public activities, they continue to contribute to promoting Azerbaijan internationally and strengthening the country’s position and reputation in the global community.

As we wrote earlier, the Azerbaijani diaspora’s activities against the background of modern communications and digital diplomacy