Celebrate birth of Azerbaijan republic
World's first predominantly Muslim secular parliamentary democracy was proclaimed 90 years ago in the Caucasus region of southeastern Europe.
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) was proclaimed on May 28, 1918 on the historic land with Azerbaijani majority population, stretching from the Caucasus mountains in the north to the Araxes River in the south and from the Caspian Sea in the east through the Karabakh region in the middle to Naxcivan region in the western end, totaling 44,000 square miles.
(The modern Republic of Azerbaijan has an area of only 33,440 square miles, due to Stalin-era territorial transfers to Armenia.)
ADR had universal suffrage, equal rights and representation for all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, creed or political beliefs.
All ethnic and religious groups had sizable representation in the national parliament, the most important branch of power.
The young democratic republic was recognized as such by other democratic nations, including the United States of America.
In 1919, President Wilson met with the Azerbaijani delegation led by the ADR Foreign Minister Alimardan Topchubashov ahead of meeting with any other regional republic's delegations.
On Jan. 12, 1920, the Allied Supreme Council extended de facto recognition to Azerbaijan, along with Georgia and ahead of Armenia.
Every year for the last 90 years, an estimated 40 million Azerbaijanis around the globe (8 million in Azerbaijan, 25 million in Iran and the rest living in Russia, Turkey, Georgia, throughout Europe, and 400,000 in the United States) observe May 28 as the National Day of Azerbaijan and remember the contribution of their forefathers to the spread of freedom and democracy in the Caucasus and the greater region.
That date symbolizes not only the 90th anniversary of the founding of the ADR, but the first instance of a Western-style, secular parliamentary democracy, ahead of all other nations in the greater region and even ahead of some Eastern European nations.
Ahmad Obali
Chicago