Azerbaijanis Around The World Celebrate Solidarity Day

Around 50 million Azerbaijanis living in many countries on five continents are celebrating International Solidarity Day of Azerbaijanis on December 31, an annual holiday that is recognized as the symbol of nation’s solidarity.

The roots of the day go back to 1989 when Azerbaijanis living in what was then Soviet Union and Iran challenged all hardship to unite with their relatives, meant to break the decades of separation. On December 31, 1989, Azerbaijanis from Nakhchivan, the exclave located to the southwest of Azerbaijan’s mainland, flocked to the border with Iran and dismantled security wires, in an attempt to end years of separation from their relatives.

“We are nearly 3,000 Azerbaijanis here,” Ali, an Azerbaijani national living in Russia, told Caspian News.

“Despite being far from our country, we feel like we’re home due to strong relations and connectivity among all Azerbaijanis,” he said, explaining how he will be celebrating the day with his family and friends as they welcome in a new year.

Over nine million Azerbaijanis live in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The largest number of Azerbaijanis living outside of the country is in Iran, which accounts for from 15 to 30 million, according to different sources. Turkey comes in at number two, with three million, while Russia is home to 2 million Azerbaijanis. Around a half million Azerbaijanis live in Georgia, and almost the same number of Azerbaijanis reside in the United States, according to the government data. Germany, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Canada, Israel, France, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq and China are home to nearly one million Azerbaijanis overall.

In 1993, Azerbaijan’s President Heydar Aliyev signed a decree making each December 31 the solidarity day of Azerbaijanis around the globe, celebrated worldwide at the country’s diplomatic missions.