Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

William Peduto, the mayor of Pittsburgh, the most historical and famous city in the U.S., made an official statement in connection with the 100th anniversary of establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), Azerbaijani Embassy in the U.S. informed on May 3.

The statement notes the creation of the ADR, the first secular parliamentary democracy in the Muslim world, on May 28, 1918, as well as its recognition by other democratic states, including the U.S.

The document states that during the short period of independence, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic granted all people the right to vote regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or religion, becoming the first Muslim nation to grant women equal political rights with men, an accomplishment preceding the U.S.

Moreover, the document emphasizes that Azerbaijan’s independence was interrupted in 1920, when it was invaded by Bolshevists and then forcefully incorporated into the USSR in 1922, but Azerbaijan was able to restore its independence in 1991.

The document notes that over the last quarter century, Azerbaijan has consolidated its sovereignty and independence, and has become a staunch ally and strategic partner of the U.S. in the critically important Caspian region.

The statement says that millions of Azerbaijanis around the globe, including tens of thousands in the U.S., will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic on May 28 this year, remembering the contribution of their forefathers to the spread of democracy in the regions of Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East.

In conclusion, Peduto in the statement declared May 28, 2018 as “Azerbaijan National Day” and called on all residents of Pittsburgh to celebrate the great contribution of the Azerbaijani people to history.

The establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic went down in the chronicles of the Azerbaijani nation as a great and historic event. The ADR, which set the goal of building an independent, free, and democratic republic, managed to return national consciousness to the Azerbaijani people and demonstrated that it was able to determine its destiny itself.

Though it existed only for 23 months, the ADR's government reached major progress in foreign policy and introduced Azerbaijan to the international community. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic marked the beginning of a large stage in the glorious history of the modern Azerbaijan.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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