Today, Independence Day is celebrated in Azerbaijan

Today, Azerbaijan celebrates a national holiday - Independence Day, one of the most significant days in the country's history.

On May 28, 1918, the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) was proclaimed - an event that has forever entered the annals of not only the Azerbaijani people but the entire East. It was the first democratic republic in the entire Muslim world - a historical fact recognized by the international scholarly community to this day.

Having proclaimed as its goal the creation of an independent, free, and democratic state, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic managed in its less than 23 months of existence to restore national self-awareness to the people and demonstrate their ability to independently determine their own destiny. The Declaration of Independence, adopted on May 28, 1918, became a powerful impetus that strengthened the Azerbaijanis' aspiration for freedom and sovereignty.

The establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was proclaimed in Tiflis (now Tbilisi), in the building of the Caucasus Viceroyalty, by the Azerbaijan National Council under the chairmanship of the outstanding statesman Mammad Amin Rasulzadeh. It was Rasulzadeh - a publicist, politician, and ideologist of the national liberation movement - who became the symbol of Azerbaijani independence, uttering the famous words: "A flag once raised will never fall!"

For long decades, Azerbaijan remained a colony of tsarist Russia. However, the Azerbaijani people never ceased their struggle for freedom and independence. The revolutionary upheavals of 1917 and the collapse of the Russian Empire opened a historic window of opportunity, which national leaders seized upon.

The young Azerbaijan Democratic Republic honorably fulfilled the extremely complex historical mission it had undertaken. In a short period, the first parliament and government were formed, a state apparatus was created, the country's borders were defined, and the flag, anthem, and coat of arms were adopted. The native language was declared the state language, serious measures were taken to build a national army, and special attention was paid to the development of education and culture. The first university of Azerbaijan was founded - Azerbaijan State University (1919), and the education system was nationalized. Notably, the ADR parliament, consisting of 120 deputies, included representatives of various nationalities - Azerbaijanis, Russians, Armenians, Georgians, Jews, and others, which was a unique phenomenon for that time.

From its very first days, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, based on the principles of popular sovereignty and equality, granted equal rights to all citizens of the country, eliminating racial, national, religious, and class inequality. A remarkable fact: the ADR became one of the first states in the world to grant women the right to vote - earlier than many European countries, including Great Britain and France.

The ADR was the first democratic republic not only in Azerbaijan but in the entire East. However, it was destined to exist for only 23 months. On April 28, 1920, the Bolsheviks' XI Red Army occupied Azerbaijan, and the republic fell. Independence was replaced by seven decades of Soviet rule.

After the restoration of Azerbaijan's independence, Independence Day has been celebrated as a national holiday. According to the Labor Code, May 28 is declared a non-working day.

By decree of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, 2018 was declared the Year of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, and the 100th anniversary of the ADR was celebrated with special solemnity at the state level.

The tricolor flag, first raised during the era of the ADR, today proudly flies over the liberated Karabakh and East Zangezur. During the 44-day Patriotic War of 2020, the heroic soldiers of the Azerbaijani army, through their valor and courage, under the leadership of Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, achieved a historic victory, restoring the country's territorial integrity and reclaiming lands that had been under occupation for nearly 30 years.