Nobel Prize laureate, prominent scientist, and professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the University of North Carolina, USA, Aziz Sancar has addressed a letter to Vice-President of ANAS, Director General of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnologies of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, academician Irada Huseynova.

The letter reads:

Dear Irada Hocam,
I sincerely thank you for the warm attention you showed me during my visit to Baku.
The only thing I regret is that I am unable to contribute to Azerbaijani science.
I wish I were 20 years younger—I would come to Azerbaijan at every opportunity and work alongside you and other scientists.
But now, I am only able to manage my own laboratory.

Thank you very much for the photos.
I placed the December 2025 calendar page next to Atatürk’s photo in my library.
This way, when I lift my head and look at the shelf while working in my office, I see Azerbaijan and Türkiye side by side.

I wish you success and send my love and regards.
Sincerely,
Aziz

It should be noted that Professor Aziz Sancar, a source of pride for the entire Turkic world, was elected an Honorary Member of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences in 2004. In 2024, during his visit to Baku at the invitation of ANAS President, academician Isa Habibbayli, the Nobel Prize laureate visited the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnologies of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan. There, he got acquainted with the ongoing research and held discussions with young scientists and specialists. The letter refers to a calendar dedicated to the great scientist, academician Jalal Aliyev. The December page of the calendar features a photo of Professor Aziz Sancar taken during his visit to the Institute.