Azerbaijan is celebrating the National Revival Day on November 17.
On the first days of 1988, Armenia started its evident aggression against Azerbaijan. Seeing the head of the USSR's indifferent attitude towards these events, the Armenians started mass deportation of the Azerbaijanis from their native lands in Armenia under the instructions of the Armenian government.
More than 200,000 Azerbaijanis were deported from their homes, killed by the Armenians. Gorbachev and his surrounding had no reaction to the Armenian vandalism. In early February 1988, Armenians carried out revolts in Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and even raised the issue of joining those lands with Armenia.
Hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis started indefinite rally on Azadlig Square against the anti-Azerbaijani policy of the USSR on November 17, 1988.
These events are regarded in Azerbaijan as the start of the national liberation movement and the main factor in regaining independence.
November 17 has been marked as the Day of National Revival since 1992.
