The relevant proclamation was signed by San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer.

The proclamation states that the Azerbaijani people established the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic on May 28, 1918, which became the first secular democracy in the entire Muslim world, and the new democracy enacted many progressive reforms, including granting the right to vote to women in 1919, which made Azerbaijan not only the first Muslim-majority nation to empower woman, but it also put the country ahead of many nations of the time in championing women’s rights, reads the proclamation.

Since 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 the biggest U.S. partner in the South Caucasus, according to the document.

The proclamation also praises Azerbaijan’s long-standing tradition of peaceful co-existence and interfaith harmony among Muslims, Christians and Jews.

It notes that the city of San Diego and Azerbaijan’s capital city of Baku has been enjoying a sister-neighborhood partnership since 2011 that has benefited the people of both cities tremendously.

The document hails the contribution the Azerbaijani community in San Diego is making to cultural diversity, richness and prosperity in the city.

It also stresses 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, proclaimed December 31, 2018, to be ‘Azerbaijani Solidarity Day’ in the city.

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

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