The minority rights in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia and at the intersections between West and East, has an important geopolitical strategic position. Throughout the history, Azerbaijan's current territory was part of various empires rather than being homeland of various ethnic groups that have contributed to the shaping of its cultural, religious and linguistic identity. The Azerbaijani people consist of Azerbaijani Turks which makes up 91.6% of the population and other ethnic groups (Lezgi, Russian, Talish, Avar, Kurdish, Jewish, Udin, etc.). The Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan guarantees respect for human rights and freedoms, regardless of ethnic origin, religion, language or other distinctions. Consequently, tolerance to other nations and ethnic groups is the fundamental value of the Azerbaijani people. The aim of the study, "Minority Rights in Azerbaijan", is to determine the feature of the minority rights, and to address the rights granted to minorities living in the Republic of Azerbaijan. For this purpose, the content of the concept of minority has been determined and then the conventions regarding the protection of minorities in the international arena have been examined. Thus, the research will clarify many problems in the concept. In fact, there is not even a generally accepted definition of minority in international law. Furthermore, the legal securities provided to religious and racial minorities living in Azerbaijan are examined within the framework of protection of human rights. Key Words: Minority, Minority Rights, Identity, Azerbaijan