Belarus honours Independence Day of Azerbaijan

The building of the National Library of Belarus was lit up with the colours of the national flag of Azerbaijan to honour May 28 - Independence Day of Azerbaijan.

The news came from the Azerbaijani Embassy to Belarus on May 29.

Millions of Azerbaijanis around the world celebrated the Independence Day of Azerbaijan on May 28 to commemorate the first democratic statehood of the entire Muslim world - the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR).

The Declaration of Independence, which proclaimed the independence of Azerbaijan, was adopted on May 28, 1918.

With a population of about 4.6 million and a territory of 114,000 square kilometres (44 square miles), the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was centred on a secular and parliamentary rule elected on the basis of universal, free, and proportionate representation. Major achievements of ADR brought forward fundamental changes in almost all fields of national life in Azerbaijan during its 23-month-long existence.

In June of 1918, the ADR government raised the national flag, established the national army and announced the Azerbaijani Turkic language as the official state language. The national flag first depicted a white crescent and a white eight-pointed star on a red background. However, on November 9, 1918, the government approved the modern-day tricolour flag to replace the old one. The flag symbolizes the Turkic origin of Azerbaijan (blue), progress and modernity (red), and Islamic belief (green).

The Azerbaijani National Army was established on June 26, 1918. A day later, it was decided that all internal and foreign correspondence and negotiations would be held in the Azerbaijani language. The ADR government also established Baku State University, a large educational and scientific centre, which became the first European-style high school in the entire Muslim East.

While the United States and some Western European countries were hesitating to enable women’s participation in elections, the ADR leadership granted unrestricted suffrage to women in 1918, making Azerbaijan one of the first countries in the world – and the first Muslim majority nation – to grant females political rights equal to those of men. This was the first case of its kind in the history of the entire East and it was only two years later, in 1920, when women in the US were given the right to vote. By granting women the right of universal suffrage, ADR left also the Benelux countries (1919), and France and Italy (1945) behind.

The ADR government has made foreign relations a key focus and a pillar of an independent Azerbaijan. The Ottoman Empire became its first partner after signing a bilateral friendship agreement. Europe and the US recognized the ADR government at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. A delegation led by the Chairman of the Parliament Alimardan Bey Topchubashov met a member of the US delegation, Henry Morgenthau, and President Woodrow Wilson in Paris.

However, despite its recognition and diplomatic successes, Azerbaijan’s participation in the system of international relations was interrupted due to the military intervention of Soviet Russia. ADR was overthrown by the Bolshevik forces on April 28, 1920, and Azerbaijan was declared the Soviet Socialist Republic.