A FLAG ONCE RAISED WILL NEVER FALL

Ninety-one years have passed since the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the first secular republic in the Muslim East. Born in conditions of world war and revolutionary upheaval, the ADR was an historical "brainchild" of which the Azerbaijani people can be rightly proud. This state raised to the level of a national idea a unique synthesis of faith, freedom and patriotism reflected on the tricolour of our republic - a symbol of Azerbaijan's belonging to the Islamic religion, the Turkic world and European civilization.

At a decisive moment for a nation that could hardly stand on its own two feet under the pressure of great powers vying for its natural reserves and which was drowned in the bloody terror of Armenian gangs, the best sons of Azerbaijan decided to proclaim an independent state - a truly heroic step. The first leader of the ADR and chairman of the National Council, Mammad Amin Rasulzada, parliamentary chairman Ali Mardan Topcubasov, the heads of government, Fatali Xan Xoyski and Nasibbay Usubbayov and other figures of the ADR, all made invaluable contributions to the formation of Azerbaijani state consciousness and, being bearers of the idea of a strong state, proved to be principled supporters of independence for their homeland. Thanks to their incredible efforts, our people proved to the whole world its allegiance to the best traditions of the West and East - ideas of democratic statehood, republicanism, human rights and freedoms and national and moral-religious principles. The "fathers" and founders of the ADR managed to nurture a national idea which finally gained a foothold in the mid 1990s, following the strengthening of the fragile independence of the state of Azerbaijan after our national leader, Heydar Aliyev, came to power.

Ahead of another anniversary of the establishment of the ADR, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited Ganca where he took part in the unveiling of a memorial plaque on the building which housed the National Council and the government of the Democratic Republic (currently, the building of the Azerbaijani State Agrarian University) in 1918. "The foundations of independence were laid here," Ilham Aliyev said. "The establishment of the first democratic republic in the East 91 years ago was a great event on a global scale," he said.

Remembering the ADR, we cannot but point out that the many troubles which faced our first republic were repeated in modern times after the restoration of Azerbaijan's independence. For example, the plague of Armenian aggression pursued Azerbaijan at the beginning of the 20th century and continues to hinder its full development a century later. The unchanging style of Armenian policy, which resorts to any methods to achieve its aggressive aims - from gruesome falsification of historical truth to the direct occupation of another country's territory, is amazing. It is a style that reveals itself every time countries of the South Caucasus take the path of independence. In 1918-1920 and in the declining years of the Soviet Union, whose collapse led to the establishment of new, independent states, the Armenians, instead of establishing peaceful, independent co-existence with their neighbours, began demanding their allegedly "historical lands" from them - Karabakh and Naxcivan from Azerbaijan and Kvemo-Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti from Georgia.

Territorial claims and aggressive actions against neighbouring states are accompanied by an active campaign of lies and falsification meant to persuade the world community of the unique nature of the "ancient and long-suffering" Armenians and their right to a heritage that does not belong to them. What is more, this heritage includes not only territory, but also the cultural property of other peoples, especially of the Azerbaijani people. An outrageous example of Armenian falsification was the cheap show organized by the "showmen" of the neighbouring country at the Eurovision 2009 song contest in Moscow.

After the management of the contest removed the picture of a Karabakh monument from the video clip presenting Armenia, the irritated Armenians put on air a presenter with their list of points; in the background was a photograph of the same monument.

However, this was not the main evidence of the Armenians' desire to present someone else's property as theirs on Eurovision. The Armenian participants in the contest performed a song based on the tune Naxcivani by the great Azerbaijani composer, Tofiq Quliyev.

This is not to mention the hoisting of the flag of the so-called "NKR" at the Mamayev Kurgan (where fierce fighting took place against German fascist aggressors during the Great Patriotic War) during the second world festival of Orthodox Cossack youth in Volgograd. Although information about this is being checked (the organizers of the festival deny that it is true), the dissemination of this report by the Armenian media confirms once again the disease in Armenian consciousness, in which a mania for aggression and ownership of others' property have taken deep root.

No matter how much the Armenians try to achieve their aims, the truth will triumph. A reminder of this comes to us from the pages of the heroic history of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, which defended the territorial integrity of the homeland despite all attempts by the Armenians to seize our lands. The new aggressive aspirations of Armenia, which does not want to withdraw from Karabakh peacefully, will also suffer a setback. The truth will triumph, even if we have to resort to something other than peace talks to achieve it.