For every individual, the desire for freedom is the healthiest ideology; to be free is a dream, and for a nation as a whole, living freely is a national happiness. At the beginning of the last century, in a complex geopolitical situation, our enlightened figures, despite all difficulties, declared our right to live freely to the world by creating the first democratic republic in the Muslim East. This glorious history became a shining example of our people’s national will, determination to struggle, and traditions of statehood. The People’s Republic instilled in our nation a spirit of independence, democratic values, and the idea of national unity, proving that living freely is one of the fundamental principles of our national identity. As a result of this principle, we proudly watched our tricolor flag, which became the revival of our spirit and the joy of our hearts, waving in the vast skies, and its love stirred our souls. Our flag, waving as a symbol of the eternal life of the Land of Fire, looked more beautiful than the crescent and the moon, becoming a balm to our hearts. Who could have known that the sacred flag, struggling with the winds, would soon witness a battle with enemies?
Realizing the nation’s dream, the ADR lived for only two years. Our free country, murdered by the executioners of the empire, was occupied. With special cruelty, our flag was lowered, our ideological carriers were suppressed, and our intellectuals were subjected to the most ruthless policy of repression. But we did not forget; we hid our love for freedom in our hearts and waited for the time. Although we lived under captivity for 70 years, we did not lose our national identity under the heavy ideological pressure of the foreign government; we continued the struggle by protecting our language, culture, and memory. Throughout these long years, the national idea thirsty for freedom did not fade. Finally, at the end of the 20th century, our people, rising with national consciousness, demanded the right to live freely without fearing the empire’s harshest punishments. In the 20 January tragedy, the executioners who responded to the desire for freedom with bayonets and weapons tried to break the will of the people and stifle the idea of national liberation. However, the blood shed and the martyrs given further strengthened the Azerbaijani people’s determination to struggle. At the cost of their lives and blood, the people determined their own destiny, the idea of national statehood was revived, and the dream of freedom, nurtured for centuries, became the reality of an independent Azerbaijan. But unfortunately, as a result of the wrong policies of the government of that time, our people faced the danger of losing their independence. The chaos, political confrontations, and uncontrollable processes prevailing in the country put our historical state independence at serious risk. It was at such a fateful moment that the great and irreplaceable son of our people, Heydar Aliyev, returned to political power at the request and will of the people and became the savior of our state and independence. As a result of the Great Leader’s far-sighted policy, Azerbaijan was saved from the danger of disintegration and loss of independence, stability was restored in the country, traditions of statehood were preserved, and the foundation of modern Azerbaijan’s path of strong development was laid. As our savior of independence and freedom, Heydar Aliyev achieved immortality by building the most powerful state in its history over a country of chaos and fragmentation. The flag that was lowered at the beginning of the century returned to the fate of the people. That sacred flag, once raised, never descended again thanks to the determination and statehood will of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev. On the contrary, as years passed, it rose even higher, becoming a symbol of our people’s free breath, independent spirit, and unshakable pride. President Ilham Aliyev, in turn, turned Azerbaijan into a leading state in the region with its political, economic, and military power, raising our country to the peak it deserves. At that peak, the Azerbaijani flag waving in every corner of the Motherland became the rising symbol of our strong state, national unity, unshakable will, eternal independence, and pride.
The powerful and independent state dreamed of by the founders of the People’s Republic was further strengthened by President Ilham Aliyev’s decisive policy, strong army, and historical victories, taking its rightful place among the world’s respected countries. Today, the world already reckons with Azerbaijan, and our country is one of the influential venues where global problems are discussed and important decisions are made. This is the power of independence and the greatness of the state.
Our independence has overcome the trials of history and settled in the most reliable harbor; treacherous winds will no longer blow against us. We are capable of protecting our flag. Ahead stands the Commander who raised the Motherland by signing a first in our centuries-old history, and behind stands the unshakable unity of the Leader-People. And the independence of Azerbaijan, for which we consider it an honor to give our lives, is eternal, irreversible, and unshakable, as the Great Leader noted!
Rəşad Mahmudov,
YAP İdarə Heyətinin üzvü,
Milli Məclisin deputatı