Azerbaijan is celebrating the 106th anniversary of the independence declared on May 28, 1918.
The independence of Azerbaijan, considered as “the first democratic republic of the Muslim East”, was declared by the Azerbaijan National Council on May 28, 1918.
In the “Declaration of Independence” adopted by the National Council chaired by Mehmet Emin Resulzade, it was stated that the country would be governed by the republic system.
In a short time in independent Azerbaijan, reforms were made in the fields of economy, education, freedom of religion and conscience, equal rights were granted to all citizens and women were given the right to vote.
Since Baku was under the occupation of Armenian and Bolshevik gangs, the Azerbaijani government operated in the country’s second largest city, Ganja, for a while.
The Ottoman state was the first to recognize Azerbaijan’s independence. An agreement was signed between the two states on June 4, 1918. In this context, Enver Pasha, the Minister of War of the period, formed an army under the command of his brother Nuri Pasha (Killigil) and sent aid to Azerbaijan.
The army, called the “Caucasian Islamic Army”, liberated Baku on September 15, 1918 and the government moved there. The Caucasian Islamic Army lost 1130 martyrs in the battles for the liberation of Baku.
In Azerbaijan, reforms were made in the fields of economy, education, freedom of religion and conscience in a short period of time, breaking new ground in the history of the country. Equal rights were granted to all citizens regardless of race, religion, sect and gender.
Azerbaijan became the first country in the Muslim East to grant women the right to vote. The country’s own currency and postage stamps entered circulation, the State Bank and Baku State University were established.
Against external threats, Azerbaijan formed its own army on June 26, and Ottoman officers played an important role in the formation of this army.
With the government decision taken on June 27, 1918, the Turkish language was declared the state language. Turkish education was made compulsory in secondary schools, most of which had previously been taught in Russian.
On December 7, 1918, the 120-seat parliament began to function. The parliament, in which all political parties and ethnic groups in the country were represented, adopted 230 draft laws during its 17 months of operation.
“Mehmet Emin Resulzade”, recognized as the founder of Azerbaijan
The Republic of Azerbaijan, which could maintain its independence for 23 months, came to an end on April 28, 1920, when the Soviet army invaded the country.
Most of the government leaders and intellectuals left the country, but all of them kept the Azerbaijani cause alive until the end of their lives.
The words of Mehmet Emin Resulzade, who is considered the founder of Azerbaijan, “Once raised, the flag will never fall again” became a slogan for all Azerbaijanis years later.
Azerbaijan declared its independence again after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the declaration of independence, it was stated that the country was recognized as the successor of the Republic of Azerbaijan, which operated between 1918 and 1920.
