Today, Azerbaijan celebrates Independence Day.
As reported by İdman.Biz, 108 years have passed since the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) on 28 May 1918 - the first secular democratic state in the Muslim East.
The creation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was proclaimed on 28 May 1918 in Tiflis by the Azerbaijani National Council chaired by Mammad Amin Rasulzadeh at the building of the Caucasian Viceroy.
For a long period, Azerbaijan was a colony of Tsarist Russia. However, the Azerbaijani people consistently fought for freedom and independence.
The newly established Azerbaijan Democratic Republic honourably fulfilled the difficult historical mission it had undertaken. The country’s first Parliament and Government were formed, state institutions were established, national borders were defined, and the flag, anthem and coat of arms were adopted. Azerbaijani was declared the state language, serious measures were implemented in army building, and special attention was paid to the development of education and culture. Azerbaijan’s first university was founded, the education system was nationalised, and important work was carried out that laid the foundation for the country’s future cultural progress and played a major role in the history of public thought.
From its very first days, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was based on the principles of people’s governance and equality. By granting equal rights to all citizens, it eliminated racial, national, religious and class discrimination.
The ADR became not only the first democratic republic in Azerbaijan, but in the entire East. However, the republic existed for only 23 months. On 28 April 1920, the 11th Red Army of the Bolsheviks invaded Azerbaijan, leading to the fall of the first republic.
From 1991 until 2021, the holiday was officially called Republic Day. During a plenary session of the Milli Majlis on 15 October 2021, a new law “On Independence Day” was adopted. On the same day, President Ilham Aliyev approved the law.
Following the approval of the law, 28 May - Republic Day was officially renamed Independence Day. In Azerbaijan, Independence Day is a non-working public holiday celebrated annually across the country. For the sixth year in a row, the celebrations are also taking place in the territories liberated from occupation.
