Today marks 34 years since the restoration of Azerbaijan’s independence.
On October 18, 1991, the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan adopted the Constitutional Act on the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan, restoring the country’s sovereignty after decades of Soviet rule.
The act was based on the Declaration of Independence adopted by the Azerbaijan National Council on May 28, 1918, and the Declaration of the Supreme Council dated August 30, 1991, affirming Azerbaijan as the legal successor to the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) – the first secular democratic republic in the Muslim East.
In May 1992, the State Anthem (music by Uzeyir Hajibeyli, lyrics by Ahmad Javad) was officially approved, followed by the adoption of the tricolor flag and the state emblem depicting a flame and an eight-pointed star – symbols of national identity and continuity.
On October 15, 2021, Azerbaijan’s Parliament adopted a new law officially renaming the national holiday as the Day of Restoration of Independence. The law was signed the same day by President Ilham Aliyev.
Observed annually on October 18, the Day of Restoration of Independence is a working day in Azerbaijan, yet remains one of the nation’s most important symbols of freedom and statehood.
