NATIONAL DAY OF THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN

On 25th May the National Day of the Republic of Azerbaijan was celebrated in the building of the Warsaw National Philharmonic. This year’s celebration of Azerbaijan’s Independence Day coincided with the 100th anniversary of the birth of the national leader Heydar Aliyev and the 105th anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Guests who attended the event were greeted by HE Mrs Nargiz Gurbanova, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Addressing them, she said:

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Excellencies, dear friends,

Exactly on 28 May 1918, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was founded, the first secular and parliamentary democracy in the Muslim and Turkic world, which introduced democratic rights, freedoms and equality for all its citizens regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender and social status. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the first Muslim-majority country to grant women the right to vote before many European countries. Regardless of the extremely difficult external geopolitical challenges, our founding fathers focused on state and army building, economic development, education and culture, and ensured the international recognition of the newborn republic. All nationalities living in Azerbaijan were represented in both the government and the 120-member Milli Majlis parliament, which included 11 factions.

The event was further enhanced by the original sound of Azerbaijani mugham music performed by a band consisting of Khananda (mugham singer) Mansum Ibrahimov, Elchin Hashimov (instrument: tar), Elnur Ahmadov (instrument: kamancha), Kamran Karimov (instrument: nagara), Chinara Malikzade (vocals), and Sona Azizova (vocals).

The participation of many eminent guests, a unique performance by artists and the beautiful interior of the National Philharmonic in Warsaw provided an unforgettable atmosphere for this year’s Azerbaijani Independence Day celebrations.