On the special occasion of 104th Independence Day of Azerbaijan, National Carillon in the heart of Federal Capital was lit up with the colours of Azerbaijan State Flag as the Governor General of Australia also greeted the friendly people of Azerbaijan on their national day.
Having emerged as an independent state in 1918 Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) was a parliamentary republic that was built based on political pluralism and a multi-party system. Granting women the right to vote much earlier than most western democracies, ADR was first of its kind in the entire Muslim East.
Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia David John Hurley sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the Independence Day, 28th May.
“On the National Day of Azerbaijan, I wish to convey to you, the government and the people of Azerbaijan my warmest wishes, together with those of the Australian government and people”, Governor-General said.
Governor-General expressed his confidence that the friendly relations between the two countries will continue to prosper in the coming years.
According to the details provided by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Canberra, the territory of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan was 113.9 thousand sq kilometres with a population of more than 3.3 million peoples. The first capital of the newly formed republic was Ganja, one of the ancient cities of Azerbaijan and later in 1918 Baku was declared the capital of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan.
Although the parliament of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan opened on 7 December 1918 and exercised its functions only for 17 months, 145 meetings were held and 270 bills were discussed. The members of parliament were united in 11 fractions and groups and the parliament represented all classes and nationalities of the country regardless of their ethnic origin, religion, class, gender and profession.
Although ADR fell in April 1920 as the result of Soviet invasion, its legacy laid the foundations of Azerbaijani statehood. Azerbaijan restored its independence on October 18, 1991 and declared itself the political and legal successor of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.
Faithful to the traditions of the First Republic, the modern Azerbaijan proved itself on the world stage as a full and responsible member of the international community, one of the fastest growing economies, a firm supporter of multilateralism and international cooperation, a champion of the norms and principles of international law.
Azerbaijan assumed the non-permanent seat of the United Nations Security Council for the period of 2012-2013 with the support of as many as 155 countries and presently is chairing the Non-Alignment Movement which reflects the country’s international prestige as well as its commitment to contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security.
The Republic of Azerbaijan has become a reliable international partner and initiator of transport and energy projects infrastructure of regional and global importance, playing a role of a bridge between East and West.
Today, Azerbaijan plays a crucial role in providing Europe’s energy security by helping to diversify its oil and gas supply resources.
Azerbaijan, which accounts for more than 70 percent of the economy of the South Caucasus, is the main originator of important political and economic cooperation platforms in the region. Energy, infrastructure and other projects implemented with the active participation of my country play an important role in the development of the region as a whole.
“Unfortunately, over the past three decades, independence of Azerbaijan has been seriously undermined due to the neighboring Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan resulted with the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions of Azerbaijan”, Ramil Gurbanov, Charge’d’Affaires a.i. of Azerbaijan said.
He said that after a 44-day war provoked by Armenia from September 27 to November 9 in 2020, Azerbaijan liberated its territories and restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized boundaries.
As mentioned by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan is continuously demonstrating readiness to leave the conflict behind and start a new stage of interstate relations with Armenia in order to achieve lasting peace for the future prosperity of the whole region.
“It is time for a new look at the South Caucasus, focusing on new opportunities for regional development, cooperation and interaction between all neighboring countries of the region in an atmosphere of goodwill”, Ramil Gurbanov added.
He also greeted the vibrant Azerbaijani community living in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji with the Independence Day.
