The 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic celebrated in Berlin

National anthems of Azerbaijan and Germany were performed at the event.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Germany Ramin Hasanov said that the first secular and democratic republic in the Muslim East was founded in Azerbaijan, despite short life, it contributed to the development and enlightenment of the Azerbaijani people, as well as to the revival of statehood traditions, and thus left deep footprints in the memory of our people. Diplomat said that the modern Republic of Azerbaijan declared itself the successor of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.

Ramin Hasanov underlined that our country has become a leading state, stable and reliable partner in the region by the consistent implementation of the state policy, fundaments laid by National Leader Heydar Aliyev and continually realized by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

Ambassador spoke about Azerbaijan's strategic partnership with Germany and the European Union, its international projects, as well as the role played by East-West and North-South transport corridors.

Touching upon Azerbaijan-Germany relations, ambassador emphasized that relations between the two countries are multifaceted and developing dynamically. He also pointed to the fact that last year was marked by remarkable events in relations between our countries, including 200th anniversary of the establishment of German settlements in Azerbaijan and the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Germany.

Ambassador also informed the participants about the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia and the consequences of the occupation for our country. Restoration of the territorial integrity is one of the main priorities of Azerbaijan's foreign policy.

Diplomat stressed that Azerbaijan has been steadfastly developing in all spheres and achieved great success in regional and global spheres. He summed up his speech quoting from President Ilham Aliyev “if the founders of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic could see today's Azerbaijan, they would have been proud of our country".

Then, Director for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, Andreas Peschke spoke at the event.

Andreas Peschke said that the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic is the first democratic republic in the Muslim world and during this period some progressive steps were taken. He said that for the first time in the world, women in the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan were provided with voting rights, the first and modern university was established in the country, the parliament was established on the basis of multi-party system, and important decisions were taken for the development of the state in the parliament. He underlined that the modern Republic of Azerbaijan which regained its independence in 1991 took its foundation from the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.

A. Peschke noted that Azerbaijan was rapidly developing after the declaration of its independence and positive developments in the German-Azerbaijan relations were observed in all spheres. Touching upon the Azerbaijan-German economic relations, he said that Germany is the most important economic partner of Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus region; more than 150 German companies operate in Azerbaijan and successfully operate various institutional establishments. He said that Germany welcomes Azerbaijan's policy of diversifying the energy transportation routes and said that his country gives hope to the Southern Gas Corridor and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.

A. Peschke said that the German-Azerbaijani relations are not limited only to the economic sphere, but covers a very wide spectrum. He also noted successful activities in the field of education, along with areas such as culture, civil society, and cooperation in the field of international organizations. According to statistical data for 2017, 1136 Azerbaijani students are studying in Germany and 208 of them are continuing their education with a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

Director also noted that Republic of Azerbaijan has always been interested in cooperation with the European Union and currently works continue on a new agreement to deepen cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union.

A. Peschke noted that the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a threat both to Azerbaijan and the whole region in terms of stability and security, and therefore Germany continues its efforts to resolve this conflict peacefully within the OSCE Minsk Group and supports the activities of the co-chairs. He also assured that if the conflict is resolved, the prospects for the development of the entire region as well as the people's living in this region can significantly improve.

He noted that the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, as well as the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the German settlements in the Caucasus were the basis of the traditions of friendship between Germany and Azerbaijan at that time. Based on these traditions, German-Azerbaijani friendship will develop in the future. The Director conveyed the congratulations of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.

The event continued with a classical concert program dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the famous Azerbaijani composer Gara Garayev, included in the list of UNESCO programme on anniversaries of eminent personalities and historic events. The works by Gara Garayev and other Azerbaijani composers were performed by an orchestra composed of German and Azerbaijani soloists. The orchestra conducted by People's Artist Yalchin Adigozalov. Famous Azerbaijani compositions were performed by distinguished artist Ilham Nazarli and Selcan Nasibli.

The concert program was organized with the support of the National Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan for UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, SOCAR Representative Office in Germany and the “CLAAS” Company welcomed by the audience.

The event ended with a banquet consisting of dishes both from Azerbaijani and European cuisines.

Participants of the event were presented souvenirs with the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and other materials about Azerbaijan.

Representatives of the Bundestag, the Chancellor's Administration, Federal Foreign Office and other state bodies, as well as representatives of public-political, economic and cultural circles of Germany, diplomatic corps in Berlin, members of the Azerbaijani Diaspora in Germany and members of the press were present at the event.