On May 28, 1918, the National Council of the Azerbaijan People’s Republic declared the independence of Azerbaijan to the world, realized the ideas of freedom of our people and restored the centuries-old traditions of statehood. Although it existed for only 23 months, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic had a significant impact on the formation of democratic traditions in the Muslim East. 70 years later – on October 18, 1991, the state independence of Azerbaijan was restored. Today, Azerbaijan is experiencing the brightest period of its development as an independent state built on the principles of rule of law, democracy and secularism.