International Conference on "The autochthonous peoples of the Caucasus-Caspian region in the light of the scientific realities and falsifications" (Yerevan, 6-7 December, 2019)

This conference was held in cooperation with the Department of Iranian Studies of Yerevan State University of Armenia and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences of Armenia on Friday and Saturday, December 6 and 7, 2019 with the presence of guests from Iran, Russia, Armenia and the Netherlands.
Dr. Vardan Voskanian, Head of the Department of Iranian Studies at Yerevan State University and Scientific Secretary of the Conference, stated that the purpose of the conference was to continue scientific researches and academic cooperation between scientific institutions of different countries, especially on the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea studies areas. He added that the presentation of the latest research related to the tribes of Talish, Lezgi, Avar, Tat (Caucasian Persian speakers), Mazandarani, Gilani and Deylami, as well as Udi, Zakhuri and Georgians are the other important objectives of the conference.
The main topics of the conference were the study of linguistics, literature, culture, history and geopolitics of the Caucasus region and the Caspian Sea. The official languages of the conference were English, Russian, Persian and Armenian. The most important aspects of the conference were the significant number of papers presented from different countries on the subject of Talish ethnic studies.
Dr. Besulov from the University of North Ossetia in the Russian Federation was one of the speakers at the conference. He said that the Department of Iranian Studies of Yerevan State University of Armenia in the field of Talish researches has a major international role.
The multi-ethnicity of the South Caucasus and the policy of assimilation of the languages in the Republic of Azerbaijan, the fate of Talish as the ethnic group in the southeastern Caucasus, the connection of Armenians with the language of the indigenous people of the Republic of Azerbaijan (in the case of Tat and Talish) were among the topics which were discussed by Russian and Armenian scholars. Papers presented within the conference by the lectures on Talish language and literature, the evolution of the Talish language, the etymology of this language and the study of its literature.
Issues related to Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the history and geography of Mogan in the history of Iran were among the topics discussed at the conference. Prof. Moharram Rezayati Kishekheleh, Prof. Mahmoud Jafari Dehaghi and Nima Asefi PhD student in Ancient Iranian Culture and Languages were among the Iranian speakers who were awarded the Jalal-al-Din Mohammad Balki (Rumi) Medal. In the last panel, the participants discussed and exchanged their views on the topics related to the conference. Finally, the conference ended by summarizing of the results of the lectures.