After decades of Soviet rule, Azerbaijan regained its independence on Oct. 18, 1991. Today, it is marked as a day of restoration of independence, in reference to short-lived independence in 1918, before the Soviet occupation.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry and officials extended congratulations to “brotherly” Azerbaijan on the anniversary. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a social media post on Sunday that he sent his heartfelt congratulations to “friend and brother” Azerbaijan on its day of restoration of independence. “I extend my greetings to president, my qardaş (brother) Ilham Aliyev and my brothers and sisters in Azerbaijan who are united with us in joy and grief,” Erdoğan stated.
Türkiye was the first country to recognize Azerbaijan’s independence. The late President Heydar Aliyev’s words, “One nation, two states,” used to describe Türkiye and Azerbaijan, became a fundamental principle guiding relations between the two countries.
Building their relations on a strategic alliance, Türkiye and Azerbaijan have undertaken projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.
During the Second Karabakh War, Türkiye and the Turkish people provided political and moral support to Azerbaijan. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s statement that “Azerbaijan is not alone” prevented third powers from intervening in Azerbaijan’s military operation.
Erdoğan and Aliyev elevated relations between the two countries to a higher level by signing the Shusha Declaration on June 15, 2021.
Azerbaijan declared its independence on May 28, 1918, through the National Council, headed by Mahammad Amin Rasulzadeh. After a brief two-year period of independence, the country was occupied by the Soviet Union. It reemerged as an independent state on the world stage on Oct. 18, 1991.
The massacre carried out by the Soviet Union’s army in Baku and other Azerbaijani cities on Jan. 20, 1990, in which women and children were killed indiscriminately, completely shattered the Azerbaijani people’s trust in Soviet rule and accelerated the process leading to the country’s independence.
On Aug. 30, 1991, the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan, which functioned as the country’s parliament at the time, adopted a declaration calling for independence. In September 1991, sessions were held to discuss Azerbaijan’s withdrawal from the Soviet Union and the declaration of independence. On Oct. 18, 1991, the Supreme Council adopted, by a majority vote, the Constitutional Act on the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The document described the Soviets as occupiers and declared Azerbaijan the successor to the republic established in 1918.
The Supreme Council’s decision was put to a referendum on Dec. 29, 1991. Nearly the entire population voted in favor of independence.
Over the past 35 years, Azerbaijan has developed its economy and strengthened its military. By elevating relations with Türkiye to the level of strategic cooperation and implementing energy and transportation projects, the country has emerged as a regional actor.
In the early years of its independence, Azerbaijan faced territorial claims and attacks by Armenia. Taking advantage of political infighting in Azerbaijan, Armenia occupied Karabakh and surrounding districts between 1991 and 1993. As a result of the occupation, approximately 1 million Azerbaijanis were forced to leave their homes.
Azerbaijan negotiated with Armenia for years through the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, co-chaired by Russia, the United States and France, in an effort to resolve the conflict peacefully. After the negotiations failed to produce results and the Armenian Army intensified its attacks on civilian settlements, Azerbaijan moved to exercise its rights under international law.
After Armenian forces opened fire on Azerbaijani civilian settlements, Azerbaijan launched a counteroffensive on Sept. 27, 2020. The operation, which soon became known as the “Patriotic War,” enabled the Azerbaijani army to liberate its territories and end the Azerbaijani people’s 30-year-long longing to return home.
The Second Karabakh War, which Azerbaijanis call the “Patriotic War,” lasted 44 days and ended on Nov. 10, 2020, when Armenia signed a statement acknowledging its defeat.
In 44 days, the Azerbaijani army liberated five cities, four towns and 286 villages from occupation. Under the terms of the signed statement, the Armenian Army was required to withdraw from the districts of Kalbajar, Lachin and Aghdam.
In September 2023, the Azerbaijani army launched an anti-terrorism operation in the Karabakh region, ending the presence of illegal armed groups on Azerbaijani territory. Azerbaijan thus fully restored its territorial integrity and established its sovereignty across the entire country.
Following these developments, peace talks gained renewed momentum. At a summit in Washington, the parties initialed the text of a peace agreement, marking a significant step toward lasting peace.
The foundations of Azerbaijan’s economic development were laid when the late Heydar Aliyev, the country’s former president and National Leader, signed the “Contract of the Century” with 11 companies from seven countries. The agreement provided for the development of the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) oil field, the country’s largest, and the export of its oil to global markets.
Azerbaijan cooperated with Türkiye and Georgia to transport its oil, leading to the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline.
While Azerbaijan’s oil production had fallen to almost negligible levels in the early 1990s, the country now sells oil and petroleum products to more than 30 countries.
Under President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan also made major advances in the natural gas sector. The Southern Gas Corridor was built to transport natural gas extracted from the Shah Deniz 2 field to Türkiye and Europe. The corridor consists of the South Caucasus Pipeline, the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). Azerbaijan now exports natural gas to 16 countries.
Since gaining independence, Azerbaijan has established good relations with nearly all neighboring and nearby countries, with the exception of Armenia, and has played an active role in international organizations such as the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Non-Aligned Movement, the Economic Cooperation Organization and the OSCE.