ESTABLISHMENT OF THE AZERBAIJAN PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC AND PARTICIPATION OF THE REPRESENTATIVE DEPARTMENT IN THE PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

Abstract

On May 26, 1918, during a session of the Transcaucasian Sejm, the Georgian delegation decided to leave the South Caucasus Federation, and the Sejm itself voted to dissolve. This decision created conditions for the emergence of independent states in the South Caucasus. Taking advantage of this situation, the Azerbaijani faction of the Sejm declared the establishment of the National Council. At that time, Mammad Amin Rasulzadeh, who represented Azerbaijan in the Batumi negotiations, was elected the chairman of the National Council. During a session of the National Council, the political situation in the South Caucasus was discussed, and it was decided that Azerbaijan would be declared an independent republic. Thus, on May 28, 1918, the "Independence Declaration" was adopted by the Azerbaijani National Council. This marked the restoration of Azerbaijan's statehood, which had been terminated by Tsarist Russia in the 1820s.