The Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) announces a call for papers on the topic of Constitution and Sovereignty. By the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated December 28, 2024, the year 2025 has been declared the “Year of Constitution and Sovereignty.” This makes it an exceptionally timely and significant area of inquiry as this year marks a confluence of historical milestones: the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the 5th anniversary of the victory in the 2020 Patriotic War which together with local anti-terror measures conducted in 2023 underscore the full restoration of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, a long-held dream of the Azerbaijani people and a core objective proclaimed in the Constitution itself.

About the Topic

     The Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan adopted in 1995 was drafted under the direct guidance of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and created the legal and institutional foundation for a modern, independent state. Its preamble sets out the protection of state independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity as fundamental objectives. However, the nearly 30-year occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s lands by Republic of Armenia prevented the full application of the Republic of Azerbaijan’s sovereign rights in the occupied territories. Therefore, ending the occupation and restoring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country was invariably the central goal of the Azerbaijani people, and all national resources were directed toward this vital task. The historic victory in the Patriotic War (September 27 – November 10, 2020) and the successful anti-terrorist operation conducted on September 19-20, 2023, led to the full restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. In recognition of this achievement, September 20 was declared the Day of State Sovereignty in the Republic of Azerbaijan by the Decree of the President, dated September 19, 2024. They were pivotal moments that fully restored the legal power of the Constitution across all of Azerbaijan’s liberated territories. These events brought to fruition the nation’s commitment to its founding principles and marked a new era of state sovereignty. Hence, this call for papers seeks to explore the profound implications of these developments.

We invite young Azerbaijani scholars and students to submit articles on the following themes, among others:

• The constitutional basis for Azerbaijan’s actions in restoring its territorial integrity and sovereignty;

• The restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty as a result of the 2020 Second Karabakh War and the 2023 anti-terror measures;

• The interplay between constitutional rights and the state’s sovereign duty to protect its independence and security;

• The role of the Constitution in guiding Azerbaijan’s independent foreign policy in the new regional realities;

• The historical and political significance of the 30th anniversary of the Constitution and the 5th anniversary of the Patriotic War;

• The implications of the Second Karabakh War for the South Caucasus and the wider region;

• The evolution of the geopolitical dynamics in the South Caucasus since the Second Karabakh War;

• Contemporary developments in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process and future prospects.

Submission Guidelines

This call is specifically aimed at encouraging the research and academic endeavors of Azerbaijani youth.

• Eligibility: Only citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan up to the age of 29 are eligible to participate.

• Submission: Articles should be submitted in full. No abstracts are required.

• Deadline: The deadline for submission is October 1, 2025.

• Language: All articles must be submitted in the English language.

• Length: Articles should be between 2,500 and 3,000 words in Times New Roman (size 12, spacing 1).

• For submission guidelines, including reference style and other requirements, please visit the website of the Caucasus Strategic Perspectives Journal: https://cspjournal.az/static/guideline-for-authors-26

Awards and Publication

• Honorarium: An honorarium will be awarded to the top three articles.

• Publication: The first-place article will be published in the Caucasus Strategic Perspectives journal. The second and third-place articles will be published on the website of the AIR Center.

Please send your article and a brief author biography (max. 150 words) to the email address: sultan.zahidov@aircenter.az

We welcome your submissions and anticipate a valuable contribution to the scholarly discourse.