Azerbaijan is marking the Republic Day on Monday. May 28, 1918, is the day when the Trans-Caucasus Democratic Republic collapsed and Azerbaijan became an independent democratic republic until April 20, 1920.
It was the first Muslim republic, in terms of the state system. Its three-colour flag blended Turkism, Islam and European basics. The flag and state symbols were brought back when Azerbaijan became independent in 1991.
A special meeting to mark the day was organized at the Buta Palace on May 25. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev made a speech. He reminded about the 70 years of Azerbaijan as part of the USSR and the challenges Azerbaijan overcame. Azerbaijan has been an independent state for 20 years.
Aliyev emphasized that the priority goal is to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The president laid flowers to the memorial built to honour the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic in Baku. Leaders of foreign states and international organizations sent congratulation notes to Aliyev and the people of Azerbaijan.
