President: It is the duty of each of us to protect the Azerbaijani language

"If we were able to protect our language during the years of colonialism and our ancestors entrusted it to us, how can we possibly fail to protect this language today? Foreign words that are brought to our language sometimes intentionally and sometimes not – they do not enrich our language and do not make those who use those words any smarter," President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said during an interview with local television channels on January 5, Report informs via AZERTAC.

"Knowing many languages is good, and I am also in favor of that. But people should speak foreign languages when necessary. We must protect our own language. Foreign words corrupt our language, do not enrich it, and also undermine our national identity, drop by drop, slowly. Perhaps we do not even notice it ourselves, but they undermine it drop by drop. After the language is lost, or after it is corrupted, or after it is completely adapted to another language, then the national identity will also disappear, and after that the statehood will also disappear, and after that, God forbid, our country may face a great disaster. Therefore, it is the duty of each of us to protect the Azerbaijani language. I am saying this with full confidence, and invite everyone to contribute to this struggle," the head of state said.