107 years have passed since the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic on May 28, 1918—the first secular democratic state in the Muslim East.
Following the February Revolution in Russia in 1917, the Tsarist Empire was overthrown. This triggered national liberation movements among the oppressed peoples under tsarist rule. On May 28, 1918, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918–1920) was founded as the first secular democratic state in the Muslim East.
Founded by Mammad Amin Rasulzade, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) became the first parliamentary republic and the first democratic, legal, and secular state model in the Turkic and Islamic world.
The first head of the provisional Azerbaijani government was Fatali Khan Khoyski. After functioning in Tiflis (modern-day Tbilisi) for 10 days, the National Council moved to Ganja. Only after the liberation of Baku from Armenian-Russian Dashnak forces by Ottoman troops in September 1918 did the national government relocate to Baku.
Despite its short existence, independent Azerbaijan achieved major milestones. It granted women the right to vote for the first time, ensured gender equality, and established a national army, currency, democratization process, national bank, free elections, and international relations, along with efforts for international recognition of Azerbaijan’s independence, territorial integrity, and economic reforms.
The first country to officially recognize the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the Ottoman Empire, on June 4, 1918.
On November 9, 1918, based on Rasulzade’s proposal, the three-color flag of the ADR was adopted. Until then, the flag had been red.
The ADR only survived for 23 months, operating under extremely tense and complex political conditions. Unfortunately, before it reached its second anniversary, the Republic was invaded and overthrown by the Bolsheviks.
Soviet Russia forcibly incorporated Azerbaijan, ending its independence. However, the idea of freedom never faded. In 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan regained its independence.
Today, a monument to the Declaration of Independence stands in Baku to honor the ADR.
From 1991 to 2021, May 28 was celebrated as Republic Day. On October 15, 2021, the Azerbaijani Parliament adopted a new law renaming the holiday as Independence Day, which was immediately signed by President Ilham Aliyev.
With this law, May 28 is now officially known as Independence Day.
In Azerbaijan, Independence Day is a national holiday, observed annually as a public holiday.
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Azerbaijan and Poland discussed closer cooperation in digital tax reforms and innovation during a high-level meeting held on the sidelines of the IOTA General Assembly in Baku.
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President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree approving the “Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the People's Republic of China on International Multimodal Transportation.”
Azerbaijan and Poland discussed closer cooperation in digital tax reforms and innovation during a high-level meeting held on the sidelines of the IOTA General Assembly in Baku.
President Ilham Aliyev welcomed Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade, Laziz Kudratov, in Baku, as the two countries look to deepen their strategic economic partnership.
Iranian missiles struck multiple locations across Israel and neighbouring regions early Friday morning, including a Microsoft office complex, according to emergency responders and local media reports.
The 19th General Assembly of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) is underway in St. Petersburg, Russia. The gathering, which brings together 41 news agencies from 33 countries, is being hosted by the TASS news agency as part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Azerbaijan and Poland discussed closer cooperation in digital tax reforms and innovation during a high-level meeting held on the sidelines of the IOTA General Assembly in Baku.
A 32°C heatwave expected to grip England has been made a 100 times more likely by human-caused climate change, according to a rapid scientific analysis released Thursday.
Kazakhstan’s flagship carrier, Air Astana, will temporarily suspend its flights from Atyrau to Dubai starting June 28, due to a significant increase in flight duration.
Several EU Member States have activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) to assist the departure of citizens due to the airspace closures in the Middle East. Slovakia, Lithuania, Greece, Poland and Portugal have requested UCPM support to assist the departure of their nationals.
A high-speed tram derailment in central Gothenburg, Sweden, has left at least eight people injured late on Thursday (19 June), after the vehicle slammed into a snack bar on Avenyn Avenue.
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