GUAM congratulates Azerbaijanis on Solidarity Day

The Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM) has congratulated Azerbaijan on December 31 - World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day.

“GUAM Secretariat congratulates the Republic of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day!” the GUAM Secretariat wrote on its X page replying to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's corresponding publication, Caliber.Az reports.

The GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development is a regional organization comprising Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova. Established in 1997, GUAM aims to promote democracy, economic development, and regional cooperation among its member states.

Notably, World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day, observed annually on December 31, celebrates the unity and solidarity of Azerbaijanis worldwide. The holiday's origins trace back to late December 1989, when residents in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic dismantled border fences between Soviet Azerbaijan and Iran, symbolically reuniting Azerbaijanis separated for decades.

Recognizing the significance of this event, on December 16, 1991, Heydar Aliyev, then Chairman of the Supreme Assembly of Nakhchivan, declared December 31 as the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis. This initiative was later adopted nationwide, and since 1992, the day has been celebrated as a public holiday in Azerbaijan.

The main idea of this holiday is the unity and solidarity of Azerbaijanis worldwide, respect for national and spiritual values, and a sense of belonging to the historical Motherland. Today, over 30 million Azerbaijanis reside in Iran, with significant communities in Türkiye, Russia, the United States, and various European countries.

By Khagan Isayev