November 17 is the National Revival Day in Azerbaijan
November 17 is the National Revival Day, which played a historical role in the restoration of Azerbaijan’s independence and is considered one of the key stages in our people’s struggle for freedom.
This day, whose roots and beginning date back to the 1960s, later became unchangeable through the political foresight and wisdom of the great leader Heydar Aliyev, who paved the way for independent Azerbaijan to follow the path of modern development.
At the end of the last century, the economic, political, moral, and ideological foundations of the Soviet Union, which covered one-sixth of the world, began to crumble. The discriminatory policy conducted by the "brain center" of the empire against the peoples, especially the Azerbaijani people, became increasingly harsh. With the support of M. Gorbachev, Armenians started territorial claims against Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. The atrocities committed by Armenians in Topkhana and the murder of two Azerbaijanis in Agdam fueled national sentiments in Baku. The people, who had tasted the flavor of independence in the early 20th century, once again felt that a historic opportunity had arisen to realize their dreams of independence. Starting from 1988, the national independence movement gained widespread momentum in Azerbaijan. The demands raised in Freedom Square gradually transformed, and the idea of establishing an independent state began to dominate national thought.
Upon coming to power, the national leader Heydar Aliyev, who brought the people a spirit of renewal and self-awareness, gave special importance to national and spiritual values, the revival of Azerbaijani science and culture, despite the harsh restrictions of Soviet ideology. Development and awakening were observed in all fields. Azerbaijan entered a true period of revival. It was through Heydar Aliyev’s initiative that a corps of national-minded scholars and intellectuals was trained in various countries around the world. This spiritual-psychological and economic foundation, created by the great personality of Heydar Aliyev, became the support for the people when the Soviet Union began to collapse nearly 20 years later.
In 1988, at the height of the popular movement, the political forces leading Azerbaijan were unable to properly assess the situation. These people, who cared more about the empire's interests than the people’s, caused the tragic events of January 20 due to their political incompetence. The successive authorities failed to direct the people’s revival toward a progressive course. During those difficult times, the great leader Heydar Aliyev kept the spirit of independence alive.
On November 17, 1990, the first session of the new composition of the Supreme Soviet of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic was held. At this historic session, chaired by Heydar Aliyev, the issue of the state symbols of the autonomous republic was also discussed. After the discussion of the people's deputies, a proposal was made to adopt the three-colored flag as the state symbol. The session passed a resolution to restore the three-colored flag of the Azerbaijan People's Republic, and a proposal was made to adopt it as the national flag in the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan. Thus, the historical path from national revival to national progress was begun.
On this path, our country achieved great successes and became the leading state of the South Caucasus and an initiator of international projects. All these achievements eventually led to our country's magnificent Victory in the 44-day Patriotic War in 2020. Under the leadership of the Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan liberated our lands from occupation, implemented the UN Security Council resolutions, restored our territorial integrity, and justice was served. Today, a new reality has emerged in the region. This reality was created by Azerbaijan, which, strengthening its international standing, became a leading actor in Europe’s energy supply and a reliable partner for world states.
