The City of Santa Fe, which is the capital of the U.S. State of New Mexico, has proclaimed May 28, 2018 as “Azerbaijan National Day” in the city. The relevant proclamation was signed by the Mayor of Santa Fe Alan M. Webber.

In the proclamation, which was sent to the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles, the City Mayor notes that “following the October Revolution in the Russian Empire, the Azerbaijani people established the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic on May 28, 1918, which became the first secular democracy in the entire Muslim world.”

It is also states that “the new democracy enacted many progressive reforms, including granting the right to vote to women in 1919, which made Azerbaijan not only the first majority-Muslim nation to empower women, but it also put the country ahead of many advanced nations of the time in championing women’s rights.”

The document stresses that after restoring its independence in 1991, “the Republic of Azerbaijan has consolidated its freedom and independence, and has become one of the world’s fastest developing and modernizing countries, the largest economy of the region and the biggest U.S. trade partner in the South Caucasus.” It further mentions that the United States was one of the first countries to recognize the Republic of Azerbaijan and establish full-fledged diplomatic relations with it.

The proclamation notes that represented by its Consul General in Los Angeles, Azerbaijan has formed a strong partnership with New Mexico over the last few years. In the end, Mayor Webber proclaims May 28 to be the “Azerbaijan National Day” in the City of Santa Fe.