Azerbaijanis in France

The first resettlement of Azerbaijanis in France began at the end of the 19th century . In 1919, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic at the state expense sent about 100 students to continue their education in Europe , 42 of which to France. Among the students who studied at the University of Paris, one can distinguish Aslan Vezirzade (returned to Baku in 1925 ), Abbas Atamalibekova (the leader of Azerbaijani emigrants in France since 1934 ), Ashraf Aliyev, and others. After the collapse of the ADR, for some political reasons, some students did not were able to return to their homeland and remained in France. Also among those remaining in France were Alimardan bey Topchubashev , a participant in the Paris Peace Conference, and his son Rashid bey Topchubashev (he died in 1926 in Paris at the age of 26), Mirza Asadullaev (Minister of Industry and Trade of the Third Cabinet of the ADR; died in Paris in 1936 ) , Akper aga Sheikhulislamov (Minister of Land and Labor in the first government office of the ADR; died in 1961 in Paris), etc. ^[1]

The second wave of resettlement of Azerbaijanis to France occurred during the Second World War . Several thousand Azerbaijanis participated in military operations in France.

Today, Azerbaijanis mainly live in such cities of France as Paris , Alsace , Bordeaux , Marseille , Cannes and others.

The first Azerbaijani diaspora in France was on August 9, 1919, when the “France-Caucasus” committee was registered in Paris and the charter of the committee contained the following paragraph:

"The committee was created with the aim of promoting the development of economic relations between France and the republics of Transcaucasia: Georgia and Azerbaijan."

Edmond Ippo, a French orientalist, was elected chairman of the committee, and Mikhail Sumbatoff (from Georgia) and Mir Yagub Mermehtiyev (from Azerbaijan), who was also a member of the Azerbaijani delegation at the Paris Peace Conference, were appointed vice presidents. The same delegation until May 1920 issued 12 bulletins “Azerbaijan”, a color geographic map of Azerbaijan and books “The Caucasian Republic of Azerbaijan”, “Economic and Financial Situation of Azerbaijan” and “Anthropological Ethnic Composition of the Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan” in French.

After April 28, 1918, members of the delegation and other Azerbaijani diplomats and businessmen remained in France and created the Association of Azerbaijani Emigrants, which was headed by Alimardan bey Topchubashev.

In October 1926, the first issue of the journal of the Musavat party Azerbaijan was published.

The Azerbaijan-France Youth Association (AFGA) was created in 2003 in Paris by a group of Azerbaijani students studying in France. Among the members of the association are not only Azerbaijani students and young people living in France, but also French and foreigners. The purpose of the association is not only to bring to the inhabitants of France the culture, history, achievements of Azerbaijan, but also to regulate friendly, economic, scientific and cultural Azerbaijani-French relations.

Association of Azerbaijani Students in France (FATA) - was established in 1999 in Strasbourg. The main goal of the association is to unite Azerbaijani students and graduates and bring to the attention of French society, and then the whole world, Azerbaijani realities (January 20, Khojaly genocide, March genocide, etc.). From time to time, the Association prepares television and radio programs, articles for websites about the history and culture of Azerbaijan. ^[2]

1. One of the Azerbaijanis who moved to Paris was the brother of the composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov , Jeykhun Hajibeyli . He was a member of the Azerbaijani delegation in France (1919 - 1920). At the end of 1919 he published the article “The First Muslim Republic” in the French magazine “Revue du Mund Musulman”. He was the editor of the Azerbaijani newspapers "Caucasus", which was published in Paris in French and "Azerbaijan" in Munich in the Azerbaijani language. In 1933 he released the work “Dialect and Folklore of Karabakh (Caucasian Azerbaijan)”. ^[3]
2. Mir Yagub Mirmekhtiyev was the Azerbaijan Vice President of the France-Caucasus Committee. After 1920, he published the books “Problems of the Caucasus”, “Regime of the Soviets: the origins and essence” in French and Russian. ^{[2] [4]}
3. Yusif Vezir Chemenzemenli , the former Azerbaijani ambassador to Turkey, after the collapse of the ADR, moved to live in France. In the French magazine “Revue du Mund Musulman” he published his article “A Look at Azerbaijani Literature”. ^[five]
4. Mammad Emin Rasulzade - Chairman of the Musavat Party. In 1930, he published the books “Azerbaijan in the struggle for its independence” and “Panturalism in connection with the Caucasus problem” - in French and Russian, respectively. ^[6]
5. Agha Gasim Gasimzadeh defended his doctoral dissertation on the theme “Bosphorus and Dardanelles; legal aspects ”at the Sorbonne . ^[7]
6. Banin (Umm Al-Banu) - an Azerbaijani writer (1905 - 1992) left Azerbaijan in 1924 and moved to Paris. She wrote the novel “Nami”, “Caucasian Days”, etc., and also was engaged in translating books into French from Russian, German and English. ^[eight]
7. Selim Turan is the son of the Azerbaijani leader Ali Bek Huseynzade . ^[9]
8. The Azerbaijani woman, who achieved the opening in 1966 of the Turkic department at the University of Strasbourg, Iren Melikova , was also the editor of the journal Turkika. Iren was also a writer ("Abumuslimim Khorasani", the epic "Umur Pasha", etc.).
9. Another active member of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Turkey was Gadir Suleymanov, who played a big role in the creation of the “House of Azerbaijan” in Paris in 1989 . A similar center was established in 2005 in Strasbourg . ^{[2] [10]}

1. ↑ Azerbaijani political emigrants in France - "Temptation by exile" - OurBaku (Russian) . www.ourbaku.com. Date of appeal April 12, 2018.
2. ↑ ^{1 2 3} Azerbaijanis in France 1920 , GREAT.AZ The Most Interesting News . Date of appeal April 12, 2018.
3. ↑ Ramiz Abutalybov. Azerbaijanis in France. International journal "IRS-Heritage" (neopr.) .
4. ↑ Mənim Azərbaycanım | My Azerbaijan | My Azerbaijan (neopr.) . myazerbaijan.org. Date of appeal April 12, 2018.
5. ↑ Chemenzeminli, Yousef Vezir - writer, historian, folklorist, ADR ambassador to Turkey, repressed - OurBaku (Russian) . www.ourbaku.com. Date of appeal April 12, 2018.
6. ↑ [ http://www.anl.az/el_ru/kniqi/2014/1-763277.pdf Mamed Emin Rasulzadeh On the shores of others 1922 - 1943] (neopr.) .
7. ↑ <meta name = 'author' content = 'Ourbaku e.'V ./>. The first Azerbaijani students in Europe - OurBaku (Russian) . www.ourbaku.com. Date of appeal April 12, 2018.
8. ↑ BANINE. The fate of a young girl and the wind of change (unopened) .
9. ↑ Türkiye Cumhuriyet Merkez Bankası | Sanal Müze | SELİM TURAN ( unopened ) (unreachable link) (November 25, 2015). Date of treatment April 12, 2018. Archived November 25, 2015.
10. ↑ Prominent figure in the Azerbaijani diaspora of France (Neopr.) .

Overview of the Azerbaijani Embassy in France