BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 13. The “11th International Istanbul Publishing Fellowship,” organized by the Turkish Press and Publishers Copyright & Licensing Society (TBYM) with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and with Anadolu Agency (AA) as its Global Communication Partner, was held at the Taş Yapı Events and Convention Center in Şişli, TurkicWorld reported.
A total of 335 publishers from 73 countries participated in the three-day event, which stood out as one of the key international gatherings focused on copyright exchange and publishing cooperation.
Speaking at the event, Bilal Erdoğan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the İlim Yayma Foundation, stated that Türkiye is an important cultural country and said, “Istanbul is one of the most important cultural centers in the world. This is an important gathering that strengthens this notion and uses it to Türkiye’s advantage.”
Strong Participation from Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan was among the notable countries at the program. Nine Azerbaijani publishers attended the event and held approximately 150 bilateral business meetings.
Hayale Murat, Azerbaijan Representative of Introtema Literary Agency, said Azerbaijani publishers demonstrate strong and consistent participation every year.
“Azerbaijan shows serious participation every year. Nearly 10 publishers attend annually. They want to discover new authors and books. At the same time, they aim to present books written in the Azerbaijani language to international markets. Recently, we have also started selling the rights of Azerbaijani authors’ books into foreign languages,” she said.
Murat noted that the readership in Azerbaijan is steadily increasing and emphasized the role of state support in the sector.
“The Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture purchases books from publishers every year for libraries. In addition, Azerbaijani Civilization Centers established abroad contribute to language education. However, more incentives are needed to help Azerbaijani authors and publishers expand internationally and sell rights. So far, we have sold rights to Sri Lanka, Albania, Türkiye, Uzbekistan and Bangladesh. Azerbaijani authors’ books have been translated into the languages of these countries and are now on shelves,” she added.
35,000 Meetings, 25,000 Preliminary Agreements
Speakers at the program also highlighted the role of publishing in cultural diplomacy. Referring to Cemil Meriç’s words, “The book is the memory of civilization,” it was emphasized that international cooperation built around books strengthens shared cultural memory.
To date, the Istanbul Publishing Fellowship has facilitated more than 35,000 bilateral business meetings and over 25,000 preliminary copyright agreements. The program is carried out through a public-private partnership model.
Represented by nearly 10 publishers this year, Azerbaijan stood out as one of the prominent countries of the program with its active meetings and growing international copyright initiatives.
