New York honors Azerbaijan’s Independence Day with flag-raising ceremony PHOTO

On May 28, in celebration of Azerbaijan’s Independence Day, the national flag of Azerbaijan was ceremoniously raised in Bowling Green Park, one of New York City’s historic public spaces located in the heart of the financial district on Wall Street.

The event was organised by the Azerbaijan-American Youth Federation and the Azerbaijan-New York Association, with support from the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the United Nations, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

It brought together members of the Azerbaijani diaspora from New York and surrounding states, students, and diplomats from Azerbaijan’s UN Mission.

During the ceremony, the Azerbaijani tricolour was hoisted on a large flagpole to the sound of the national anthem, visibly standing among the iconic symbols of New York’s financial hub. Following the flag-raising, attendees enjoyed traditional Azerbaijani music and dances, drawing the attention of numerous tourists and passersby in the bustling park.

The celebration coincided with Azerbaijan’s national holiday marking the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) on May 28, 1918. The ADR was the first secular and democratic republic in the Muslim world and granted universal suffrage, including voting rights for women — a groundbreaking move at the time. Though the republic existed for only 23 months, it laid the foundations for Azerbaijan’s modern statehood.

In 2021, Azerbaijan officially renamed the May 28 holiday as Independence Day. The date of October 18, formerly celebrated as Independence Day, was rebranded as the Day of Restoration of State Independence to mark the country’s 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.

By Tamilla Hasanova