[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 91 (Tuesday, June 9, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E862]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               AZERBAIJAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 9, 2015

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call to the 
attention of my colleagues the 97th Anniversary of the Republic Day of 
Azerbaijan.
  Republic Day celebrates Azerbaijan's declaration of its independence 
from the Russian Empire on May 28, 1918, becoming the region's first 
Muslim democratic secular republic in Central Asia.
  While that independence was short lived, from 1918-1920, the young 
Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan made tremendous strides, granting 
women the right to vote long before most Western democracies and laying 
the foundation for architecture and formal educational for future 
Azeris.
  Two years after independence, Azerbaijan was occupied by the Soviet 
Union, losing the hard-won independence, and was forced to become a 
republic in the U.S.S.R. In 1990, as the U.S.S.R. crumbled, Azerbaijan 
regained its independence from the Soviets after seventy years. On 
August 30, 1991, Azerbaijan's Parliament restored their nation's 
independence for the second time in a century, and weeks later, adopted 
their Constitution.
  A valuable international ally, Azerbaijan was among the first nations 
offering unconditional support to the United States in the war against 
al Qaeda, having provided a safe transit route to resupply our troops 
in Afghanistan. Azerbaijan leads the Central Asian area in regional 
economic cooperation, and is a crucial in European energy security 
matters.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to join me in thanking the people of 
Azerbaijan for their friendship, and in congratulating Azerbaijanis 
around the world on the anniversary of Republic Day.

                          ____________________