The Day of Restoration of Independence (

Azerbaijani Azerbaijani may refer to: * Something of, or related to Azerbaijan * Azerbaijanis * Azerbaijani language See also * Azerbaijan (disambiguation) * Azeri (disambiguation) * Azerbaijani cuisine * Culture of Azerbaijan The culture of Azerbaijan ...

: Azərbaycanda Müstəqilliyin Bərpası Günü) is a state holiday in

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

. It is celebrated annually on October 18. On this day in 1991, the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan adopted a Constitutional Act on the Declaration of Independence of Azerbaijan. The declaration was confirmed by a referendum in December 1991. Until 2021, it was marked as Independence Day. In October 2021, it was renamed and became Day of Restoration of Independence.

Celebrations

The fifth anniversary celebrations of 1996 were the first major celebrations of the holiday. Large scale celebrations also took place on the 10th anniversary in 2001. In 2017, a military parade was held through the capital of the

Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic ( az, Naxçıvan Muxtar Respublikası, ), is a landlocked exclave of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The region covers Official portal of Nakhchivan Autonomous RepublicNakhchivan Autonomous Republic with a popula ...

in honor of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the first military unit and 26th anniversary of the restoration of independence. The event was attended by the President of Nakhchivan

Vasif Talibov Vasif Talibov ( az, Vasif Yusif oğlu Talıbov; born 14 January 1960) is the former chairman of the Supreme Assembly of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, a deputy of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, a member of the Board of Di ...

and Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov.

Connected commemorations with Independence Day

The second parade of independent Azerbaijan was held on Azadliq Square on October 9, 1992 in commemoration of the first anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, and was held also in connection with the anniversary of the restoration of independence. In 1998, the inauguration of

Heydar Aliyev Heydar Alirza oghlu Aliyev ( az, Һејдәр Әлирза оғлу Әлијев, italic=no, Heydər Əlirza oğlu Əliyev, ; , ; 10 May 1923 – 12 December 2003) was a Soviet and Azerbaijani politician who served as the third president of Aze ...

coincided with the celebration of Independence Day. A year later, in 1999, the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the

were connected with the Independence Day holiday just 6 days later.

Foreign commemorations

In 2020,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...

were lit up in colours of Azerbaijani flag to mark Independence Day. That same year, a Turkish delegation led by

Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey This article lists the speakers of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The name of the parliament of the Turkey, Republic of Turkey, originally and currently the Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi) since ...

Mustafa Sentop visited Baku to participate in the celebrations, in a show of support for Azerbaijan after the Ganja ballistic missile attacks.

Gallery

File:Stamp of Azerbaijan 763.jpg, A stamp celebrating the 15th anniversary of independence.

References

October observances

1991 establishments in Azerbaijan Public holidays in Azerbaijan Autumn events in Azerbaijan {{holiday-stub