Madrid's iconic fountain gushes in blue, red, green

The famous Cibeles Fountain, recognized as one of the symbols of the capital of Spain's capital Madrid, on the evening of May 30, was lit in the colours of the State Flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the national holiday - Independence Day.

The decision was made by the City Council of Madrid.

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Spain told Azertag that the red, green, and blue colours of the Azerbaijani flag were projected onto a fountain in the Spanish capital for the first time.

Azerbaijani Ambassador to Spain Ramiz Hasanov thanked the Mayor's Office of Madrid for the support provided to a good initiative, which embodies the relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

The Kingdom of Spain became one of the first states to recognize the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan and establish diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

On May 28, millions of Azerbaijanis around the world celebrated Independence Day 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.

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 have 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.