Azerbaijan marks the Day of Restoration of Independence on 18 October, commemorating the historic decision that re-established the country’s sovereignty in 1991 and affirmed its links with the first independent Azerbaijani state. On 18 October 1991, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan adopted the Constitutional Act on State Independence, a landmark document that laid the legal foundations for the country’s renewed independence as the Soviet Union approached its dissolution. The act referred to the Declaration of Independence adopted on 28 May 1918 and the Supreme Council’s declaration of 30 August 1991 on the restoration of state independence.
It also established Azerbaijan as the successor to the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), which had been founded in 1918. The ADR marked a significant chapter in the country’s history, becoming the first parliamentary republic in the Muslim world. Although its independence lasted less than two years before the country was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920, its legacy remained central to Azerbaijan’s national identity and aspirations for sovereignty.
The restoration of independence in 1991 opened a new chapter in the country’s political and national development. Alongside establishing its state institutions, Azerbaijan began consolidating the symbols that represented its renewed sovereignty. In May 1992, the Milli Majlis, Azerbaijan’s parliament, approved the national anthem, with music composed by Uzeyir Hajibeyli and lyrics written by Ahmed Javad.
The state emblem was also approved that month. Its design features an eight-pointed star and a flame at its centre, set against the colours of the national flag. These national symbols reflect the continuity between the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic of 1918 and the independent republic established in 1991.
The significance of 18 October was further defined in 2021, when the Azerbaijani parliament adopted a new law on Independence Day on 15 October. President Ilham Aliyev approved the legislation on the same day, renaming State Independence Day as the Day of Restoration of Independence. The change formally recognised the distinction between the establishment of the first republic in 1918 and the restoration of independence in 1991, while reaffirming the historical connection between the two milestones.
Today, the Day of Restoration of Independence is observed annually as a national holiday, although it remains a working day. More than three decades after the adoption of the Constitutional Act, 18 October remains an important date in Azerbaijan’s national calendar. It commemorates the restoration of statehood and the continuation of a historical aspiration that began with the declaration of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918.
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