U.S. City of San Diego proclaims December 31 as ‘Azerbaijani Solidarity Day’

The City of San Diego in the U.S. State of California has proclaimed December 31, 2018 as “Azerbaijani Solidarity Day” in the city. The relevant proclamation was signed by the City Mayor Kevin Faulconer.

In the proclamation, the Mayor notes that “the Azerbaijani people established the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic on May 28, 1918, which became the first secular democracy in the entire Muslim world”.

It 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 also put the country ahead of many advanced nations of the time in championing women’s rights”.

The document stresses that since 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 an important trade partner of the United States in the South Caucasus”.

It further mentions that “Azerbaijan has a long-standing tradition of peaceful co-existence and interfaith harmony among Muslims, Christians and Jews”.

The proclamation notes that San Diego and Baku established sister-neighborhood partnership in 2011.

The document also states that the Azerbaijani community in San Diego actively contributes to cultural diversity, richness and economic prosperity in the city.

It notes that “December 31 of every year is celebrated as the Solidarity Day of Azerbaijanis by around 50 million Azerbaijanis around the world, including many thousands in the City of San Diego”.

In the end, the Mayor of San Diego Kevin Faulconer, for and on behalf of the citizens of the City, proclaims December 31, 2018, to be “Azerbaijani Solidarity Day” in the City of San Diego.

A similar proclamation was also adopted by San Diego County Board of Supervisors.