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By Kamila Aliyeva

September 15 marks the 100th anniversary of the liberation of Baku from the Armenian-Bolshevik invaders - one of the most valiant pages in the history of Azerbaijan of the twentieth century.

On September 15, 1918, Baku was liberated by the Caucasian Islamic Army, comprised of Azerbaijani and Turkish soldiers, led by Turkish General Nuri Pasha. Thus, the independence of Azerbaijan was preserved and the domination of Armenians and Bolsheviks in Baku and surrounding areas came to an end.

A symposium dedicated to 100th anniversary of the liberation of Baku from the Armenian-Bolshevik occupation was held in Baku on September 13.

The Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan (ANAS) has done a great work to study the history of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), and has revealed new facts related to this period, the ANAS president, academician Akif Alizade said while addressing the event.

Alizade noted that the Democratic Republic plays an exceptional role in the history of Azerbaijan.

“Its creation informed the world about the appearance of the Azerbaijani state, which entered its name into history,” he said.

The President of ANAS underlined the great role of ADR in the liberation of Baku from the Armenian-Bolshevik occupation. He added that the liberation of Baku allowed the transfer of the ADR capital from Ganja to Baku.

“The liberation of Baku on September 15, 1918 from the Armenian-Bolshevik occupation is one of the brightest events in Azerbaijan's history. With the liberation of Baku, the city turned into the capital of Azerbaijan, acts of genocide against the Azerbaijani people committed by the Armenian-Bolshevik detachments were stopped,” Alizade said.

Speaking at the event, Director of the Institute of History of the ANAS, academician Yagub Mahmudov said that the liberation of Baku from the Armenian-Bolshevik occupation, along with the role of the Caucasian Islamic Army, headed by Nuri Pasha, is an indicator of the great heroism of the Azerbaijani people themselves

The liberation of Baku is a very important event in the history of Azerbaijani statehood, according to Mahmudov.

Baku, which for a long time was the center of the state of the Shirvanshahs, in 1918 again received the status of the capital, he added.

Mahmudov noted that the military forces led by Nuri Pasha could not fully fulfill this historic task in isolation from the Azerbaijani people and the national military forces of Azerbaijan.

“The Azerbaijani people played a huge role in the liberation of Baku. Then, the Ottoman state helped us, but the Azerbaijani people also rose, and our generals and people's volunteers played a very big role in these events. Nuri Pasha treated with great respect the experience and training level of Ali-Agha Shikhlinski, which passed a great military way. Habib bey Salimov was the chief of staff of the Azerbaijan Corps, and at the same time he headed the South Group of the Caucasian Islamic Army,” Mahmudov added.

Azerbaijan and Turkey should be together and, marking the 100th anniversary of the liberation of Baku from the occupation, celebrate the anniversary of their unity, Turkish Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Ahmet Haluk Dursun said at the symposium.

The most important mission is to correctly convey the realities to future generations, he believes. “We must learn from the past, this is a very important task,” the deputy minister said.

The symposium was organized by the Institute of History of ANAS and the Turkish Ataturk Research Center. The reports of scientists from Azerbaijan, Turkey and other countries were heard at the international scientific conference.

Despite Azerbaijan's declaration of independence in May 1918, part of the country's territory, Baku and surrounding areas remained under the Armenian-Bolshevik occupation. Recently gained independence and yet unknown in the world, Azerbaijan did not have sufficient opportunity to ensure its territorial integrity.

Despite the difficult situation, the Ottoman Empire sent military force to Azerbaijan under the command of Nuri Pasha in order to ensure the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Although the European states opposed the arrival of Turkish troops in Azerbaijan, in August-September 1918 the Ottoman Empire fulfilled its historic mission with dignity.

On September 15, the Caucasian Islamic Army and the Azerbaijani Corps liberated Baku from occupation. After this historic date, the capital was transferred from Ganja to Baku.

The Azerbaijani people will always remember the fraternal assistance of the Turkish army, and honor the memory of the Turkish soldiers who gave their lives for the freedom of the country.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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