Azerbaijan 1918-1920 Democratic Republic Islamic World’s First Secular Parliamentary

Society 11:52 27.05.2020

Exactly 102 years ago, on May 28, 1918, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) was established, to be the first parliamentary democracy among all Muslim nations. This paramount event, of historical importance, was considered a most significant achievement for the Azerbaijani people.

At the 26 December 1918 parliament session, Fatali Khan Khoyski, the elected Prime Minister read a declaration especially noting that “the first and most important task” of the government would be to strengthen the independence of Azerbaijan.

The nature of the Azerbaijani people, to be able to listen and understand each other and engage in a dialogue, is nurtured since childhood and has been developing for centuries. For this reason, Azerbaijan is the only country that has never seen religious discrimination, fanaticism, xenophobia and Antisemitism sentiments.

Representatives of the country’s various religions have peacefully coexisted for centuries and the country’s many ethnic groups, their language, tradition, and culture have proudly survived.

Since its emergence in 1918, the ADR developed a cordial and compromise system to solve any arising ethnic and religious difficulties. Interestingly, at the time, concerning the ethnic and religious social composition and freedom rights, the ADR could easily vie with the United States. The ADR had no match, and not only in the world’s East.

On behalf of the National Council, consisting of 80 Azerbaijanis, its Chairman, Mammed Amin Rasulzadeh, appealed to all of Azerbaijan’s citizens, irrespective of their ethnicity, language, and religion, to get actively involved and help build a new democratic state.

azerbaijan scientist dr moshe bekker

Azerbaijan scientist Dr Moshe Bekker. Photo edited by NewsBlaze from original by Eldar Farzaliyev

Recently, the Azerbaijani scientist Dr. Moshe Bekker wrote: “Immediately after the February Revolution, Jewish organizations began to show political activity.” On December 3, 1917, the Baku Jewish National Council, that included fractions of Zionists, Bundists, a non-partisan democratic group, populists (people’s party), Jewish Social Democrats (Poalei Zion), Zairey Zion (young Zionists) faction, was founded to be in charge of all Jewish cultural-educational and charitable institutions.

Azerbaijan 1918-1920 Democratic Republic: Islamic World's First Secular Parliamentary 1

Images Azerbaijan Mark Mihailovich Aberguz Central Bank Director – photo Wikipedia

Very few people outside Azerbaijan, including Jewish communities, know the role the Jewish community has been playing in Azerbaijan. For instance, Dr. Yevsey Gindes, ADR’s Minister of Health was Jewish; Mark Mihailovich Aberguz, ADR’s Central Bank Director, was Jewish. It was the Jewish community’s pride to have two of its members acting ministers in Azerbaijan’s first democratic government.

Azerbaijan 1918-1920 Democratic Republic: Islamic World's First Secular Parliamentary 2

Azerbaijan Dr. Yevsey Gindes Minister of Health – Photo Wikipedia

Speaking on behalf of the Jewish community, on December 7, 1918, Dr. Moshe Gukhman stated: “In these great days for Azerbaijan, the start of building an independent state, as the person elected by 20,000 Baku Jews, I welcome the Azerbaijan Republic’s legislature. The desire of the Azerbaijani people, under the people’s self-determination banner and based on the people’s rightly understood interests to take all public life into their own hands, meets the Azerbaijani Jews’ most warm and welcoming response.”

Under the roof of the young parliament Azerbaijan’s Jews believe that they will always have strong support for their rights. This particularly applies to my Mountain Jews brethren, scattered in different parts of the republic. The hope is that under the state’s system, Azerbaijani Jews will always have the equal among equals’ rights.

In its short-lived two years’ life, the ADR conducted an active foreign policy, building bilateral relations with a number of countries as well as establishing and hosting numerous diplomatic missions. The Azerbaijani government intensively sought international recognition at the highest level.

An Azerbaijan delegation was sent to attend the Paris Peace Conference where they met with world leaders, including US President Woodrow Wilson. Though originally Azerbaijan did find the support it needed, sought from British Prime Minister Lloyd George, a British initiative at the Paris Peace Conference ended with issuing a resolution, in which the Allies de facto recognized the Azerbaijani government in January 1920.

The Allies recognition of the Transcaucasian Republics was partially due to their fear of Bolshevism. This fear, at least in the Transcaucasia regions, did not go much beyond words, the strongest of which were status quo, recognition, démarche, and a host of standard diplomatic remonstrance. The Allie’s recognition of the ADR was historic, albeit late to arrive. Azerbaijan’s joining the free countries’ community was interrupted in April 1920 by Soviet Russia’s aggressive and bloody military intervention.

Despite the Soviet Russia occupation of Azerbaijan for some 70 years, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic had left the Azerbaijani people with a national liberation ethos. In its 23 months of existence, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic had become a vibrant fact. No oppressive communist regime could remove the Azerbaijani nation’s statehood’s liberty and independent ideas.

The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the first in Azerbaijan’s history, was a democratic secular parliamentary state model, based on the rule of law, the one and only one in the globe’s East, to include the Turkic-Muslim world. Today, the independent and strong Republic of Azerbaijan is the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic’s worthy successor. In October 18, 1991, the Azerbaijani people restored their independence. Referencing the ADR statehood tradition they established an independent Azerbaijani State on all of its historical heritage.

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic did not last long, but at that time it laid the Azerbaijani statehood’s solid foundation, what led to the 1991 reestablishment of the modern and independent Republic of Azerbaijan.

Story by Arye Gut, edited for NewsBlaze by Nurit Greenger. Arye Gut is a commentator on Israeli public TV and radio on Azerbaijan-Israeli and Israel-Turkish relations, who also regularly writes at the Jerusalem Post.

IEPF issued a statement regarding Azerbaijani children at the UN Human Rights Council

News line

Russia accuses Ukrainian military chief of ordering downing of war prisoner plane
22:10 05.07.2025
Türkiye supports firefighting operations in Syria’s Latakia
22:00 05.07.2025
UNRWA calls for immediate fuel delivery to Israel-blockaded Gaza before shutdown of basic services
21:45 05.07.2025
Pashinyan: Armenia needs new constitution
21:20 05.07.2025
UN chief condemns Russia's recent 'series of large-scale' attacks on Ukraine
21:00 05.07.2025
Kazakh servicemen arrive in Azerbaijan to participate in Tarlan - 2025 exercise
20:45 05.07.2025
Erdogan: US has crucial role in achieving ceasefire in Gaza
20:20 05.07.2025
Building collapse in Pakistan kills 15
19:45 05.07.2025
Turkish FM Fidan to attend 17th BRICS Leaders Summit in Rio de Janeiro
19:30 05.07.2025
Australia pledges $283M for green energy project by explosives maker
19:10 05.07.2025
OPEC+ speeds up oil output hikes, adds 548,000 bpd in August
18:45 05.07.2025
Inter completes signing of Ange-Yoan Bonny from Parma
18:20 05.07.2025
Turkish president sees Zangazur corridor 'as part of the geoeconomic revolution'
18:00 05.07.2025
Turkish president urges Azerbaijan, Russia to show restrain amid tension
17:45 05.07.2025
China says war 'not a solution' to Iranian nuclear issue
17:15 05.07.2025
At least 18 people injured after fire alert on Ryanair plane in Majorca as passengers abandon jet & leap from wing
17:00 05.07.2025
Azerbaijani PM meets with UNESCAP executive secretary
16:45 05.07.2025
Lebanese president affirms coordination with Syria, warns against sectarian tensions
16:15 05.07.2025
21 killed in Israeli strikes on tents, school-turned-shelters in Gaza Strip
16:00 05.07.2025
Turkish construction sector takes on international projects worth $6.2B in first half of 2025
15:45 05.07.2025
Azerbaijani woman wrestler becomes European champion
15:30 05.07.2025
Mayor: Death toll in Russian attacks on Kyiv reached two
15:15 05.07.2025
Texas floods kill 24 people and leave many missing from girls' summer camp
14:45 05.07.2025
Conor McGregor has interest in White House fight after Trump's UFC idea
14:30 05.07.2025
Netanyahu era sees 40% surge in Israeli settlements in occupied West Bank
14:15 05.07.2025
Equatorial Guinea sues France in UN court to block sale of Paris mansion
14:00 05.07.2025
US president 'disappointed' over phone call with Putin
13:45 05.07.2025
Academy of Azerbaijan`s State Security Service hosts graduation ceremony
13:30 05.07.2025
Azerbaijan and Pakistan ink memo in Khankendi
13:15 05.07.2025
Trump says there could be Gaza deal next week
13:00 05.07.2025
First flight from Türkiye to Syria launched
12:45 05.07.2025
US marks its 249th anniversary of independence
12:30 05.07.2025
Azerbaijan's role in regional integration discussed at London conference
12:00 05.07.2025
Uzbek Minister: Mirziyoyev's visit to Azerbaijan crucial for dev’t of transport links
11:45 05.07.2025
Trump says US will start talks with China on TikTok deal this week
11:30 05.07.2025
Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif concludes visit to Azerbaijan
11:15 05.07.2025
Pakistani premier proposes low-emissions corridor at Economic Cooperation Organization summit
11:00 05.07.2025
Rwanda pledges to deliver on its part of US-brokered peace deal with DR Congo
10:45 05.07.2025
Hezbollah rejects calls to disarm before end of Israeli ‘aggression’ against Lebanon
10:30 05.07.2025
Trump says Gaza ceasefire deal may come next week after ‘positive’ Hamas response
10:15 05.07.2025
Hamısı