Azerbaijan celebrates 34 years since restoration of state independence

Azerbaijan is today marking the 34th anniversary of the restoration of its state independence.

As reported by Caliber.Az, until 2021, October 18 was officially celebrated as Azerbaijan’s Independence Day. However, in the lead-up to the 30th anniversary of the country’s independence, the Milli Majlis (Parliament) adopted a new law revising national holidays. Under this legislation, May 28 — previously known as Republic Day — was designated as the official Independence Day, while October 18 was declared the Day of Restoration of State Independence.

The origins of Azerbaijani statehood date back to May 28, 1918, when the National Council, chaired by Mammad Amin Rasulzade, proclaimed the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR). The ADR is recognised as the first democratic and secular republic in the Muslim East, guaranteeing equal rights to all citizens regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, or creed.

However, Azerbaijan’s independence was short-lived. In April 1920, the Red Army invaded the country, bringing it under Soviet control. It was only decades later, on October 18, 1991, that Azerbaijan re-emerged on the international stage as a sovereign and independent state.

Despite living under Soviet rule for 70 years, the Azerbaijani people never lost their sense of national identity or the memory of their first republic, which had stood for principles of democracy and equality.

The tragic events of January 20, 1990 — when Soviet troops carried out a brutal crackdown in Baku and other regions, killing and wounding civilians — became a decisive moment in Azerbaijan’s modern history. The massacre shattered any remaining trust in the Soviet Union and accelerated the national movement for independence.

On August 30, 1991, the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan, serving at the time as the national legislature, adopted the Declaration of Independence. In September of that year, lawmakers began formal discussions on the country’s withdrawal from the USSR.

The decisive step came on October 18, 1991, when the Supreme Council adopted, by a majority vote, the “Constitutional Act on the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan.” This historic document declared the Republic of Azerbaijan the legal successor of the state founded in 1918.

To consolidate the nation’s choice, a nationwide referendum was held on December 29, 1991. Nearly the entire population of Azerbaijan voted in favour of independence, reaffirming the country’s sovereignty and its return to the international community as a free and independent state.

By Tamilla Hasanova