Azerbaijan celebrates National Flag Day Tricolour of independence

Today, November 9, Azerbaijan marks National Flag Day, honouring one of the nation’s most cherished symbols of independence, sovereignty, and unity, Caliber.Az writes.

The holiday was established by a presidential decree signed by Ilham Aliyev on November 17, 2009, and officially approved by the Milli Majlis (Parliament) on December 4 of the same year. Since then, November 9 has been celebrated annually across the country.

Since the restoration of Azerbaijan’s independence, the national flag has stood as a powerful emblem of statehood and the enduring spirit of the Azerbaijani people. Inherited from the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), it embodies the country’s devotion to freedom, national and spiritual values, and universal human ideals.

The tricolour flag — blue, red, and green with a white crescent and an eight-pointed star — was first adopted on November 9, 1918, during a meeting of the ADR government, and served as the state flag until April 1920.

Decades later, on November 17, 1990, during a session of the Supreme Majlis of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, held under the leadership and initiative of Heydar Aliyev, the historic flag was reinstated as the official symbol of the autonomous republic. Shortly after, on February 5, 1991, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan granted it the status of the state flag by adopting the corresponding law.

Today, the Azerbaijani tricolour proudly flies over every city and town in the country, symbolising the nation’s unity, progress, and unshakable independence.

By Khagan Isayev