Every year, December 31 is celebrated as the Solidarity Day of the World Azerbaijanis.
This date has been declared as the Solidarity Day of the World Azerbaijanis since 1993 in line with the Azerbaijani president’s decree, Trend writes.
The main idea of this holiday is the unity and solidarity of the Azerbaijanis from all over the world, respect of national and spiritual values, as well as belongingness to the historical homeland.
The Solidarity Day of the World Azerbaijanis is important as a symbol that in spite of long distances, the Azerbaijani people are still united.
The Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis plays an effective role in building relations between Azerbaijanis dispersed across the world and in the process of creating unity and solidarity among them.
The celebration of this day has already turned into a moral necessity for Azerbaijanis in more than 70 countries worldwide. Azerbaijanis living on both sides of the River Aras had already shown the world their being of the same national identity when they on the last days of the collapse of the USSR marched to the border between the two totalitarian states (USSR and Iran) and tore down the barbed wire, calling for unity day and night. The Day of Solidarity is symbolic of this ambition of unity.
The foundation of the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis was laid in Nakhchivan late in December 1989, when USSR-Iran borders were knocked down, APA recalls.
On December 16, 1991, Chairman of Supreme Assembly of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Heydar Aliyev, taking into account the importance of the world Azerbaijanis’ uniting, declared December 31 as the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis.
Later, in 1992, the Azerbaijani Parliament officially declared December 31 as state holiday – the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis.
On this occasion, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev congratulated the world Azerbaijanis, voicing his confidence that their concerted activities “will make us even stronger”.
“I do believe that concerted activities of all our fellow countrymen, their invincible loyalty to native Azerbaijani soil will make us even stronger and help us solve as soon as possible our only problem – the Armenian military aggression – and restore our territorial integrity,” the president said in an annual message to Azerbaijanis on the eve of the World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day, AzerNews reported.
The president said what happened on the frontline in the wake of the Armenian military provocation in April proved that the Azerbaijani armed forces are well ready to liberate the occupied lands anytime.
President Aliyev urged the world Azerbaijanis to unite and resolutely protect national interests and wage a principled fight against anti-Azerbaijani provocations in any part of the world.
About 50 million Azerbaijanis live in more than 70 countries, according to the State Committee for Work with the Diaspora.
Over nine million people live in Azerbaijan and about 30 million ethnic Azerbaijanis reside in Iran. Turkey, for example, is home for about 3 million, while Russia is for almost 2 million Azerbaijanis and then follows Georgia, Kazakhstan and Germany.
This is several times exceeds the number of people residing in Azerbaijan, that's why the Solidarity Day is so important as a symbol of the fact that, despite the great distance, the Azerbaijani people are still united.
On this occasion, Heydar Aliyev Foundation organized a New Year celebration for children who live in all the orphanages and boarding schools located in the country's capital. The event was attended by president and vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva and Leyla Aliyeva.
