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By Shabbir Hussain
ISLAMABAD, May 28 (Alliance News): The Embassy of Azerbaijan here on Friday organized a cake cutting ceremony to mark its 104th Independence Day anniversary and shared the country’s soft images by displaying pictures of its wonderful landscapes.
The event was attended by many ambassadors of Asian and European countries, besides  Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Federal Minister for States and Border Regions Mohammad Talha Mahmoud, Federal Minister for Defense Production Mohammad Israr Tarin, Government officials, public figures. , representatives of cultural and business circles, high-ranking officers of the Armed Forces of this country, media representatives, as well as Azerbaijanis living in Pakistan.
The ceremony formally started after the national anthems of Azerbaijan and Pakistan, played, addressing the participants of the event Azerbaijani Ambassador to Pakistan Khazar Farhadov informed the audience about the path of independence of the Azerbaijan People’s Republic (APR), which celebrates its 104th anniversary.
The ambassador noted that the democratic republic was established on May 28, 1918, noting that it was the first democratic secular republic in the Muslim East.
Farhadov stressed that democratic rights and freedoms were established during the Popular Front, and that equal rights were recognized for all citizens, regardless of ethnicity or religion, and that women were given the right to vote even before many European countries.
He said the Azerbaijani language was declared the state language and special attention was paid to the development of education.
The ambassador noted that after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Azerbaijani people established an independent Republic of Azerbaijan based on the traditions of the People’s Republic of Azerbaijan and great work was done under the leadership of great leader Heydar Aliyev to strengthen restored independence.
Noting that today the process of development of a democratic, legal, secular state and civil society is successfully continued in Azerbaijan under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Farhadov noted that these successes are reflected in all spheres of life of the Azerbaijani people.
Speaking about the Great Patriotic War, the ambassador stressed that in 2020, under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, President Ilham Aliyev, our army liberated our lands from Armenian occupation.
Touching upon Azerbaijan-Pakistan relations, the ambassador said that June 9, 2022 is the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, noting that this significant day will be celebrated with a series of events.
Farhadov also said that relations between the two countries are developing in all directions. For example, direct flights from Lahore and Karachi to Baku have been launched since March this year, and direct flights from Islamabad to the capital will be launched in June. He stressed that the number of working groups has reached 10.
In his speech, Murtaza Javed Abbasi first congratulated the government and people of Azerbaijan on the Independence Day of our country.
Speaking about the relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan, the Federal Minister said that Azerbaijan has a special place in the hearts of the Pakistani people and expressed acceptance of Azerbaijan as a brotherly country.
Noting that Pakistan was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan, the minister said that the country supported brotherly Azerbaijan during the former Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as the Patriotic War.
Expressing his sentiments about the 44-day war, Murtaza Javed Abbasi stressed that Azerbaijan liberated its ancient lands from occupation in 2020, noting that Pakistan congratulated brotherly Azerbaijan on this occasion.
Stating that brotherly Azerbaijan is an important country for Pakistan, the minister stressed the need to increase efforts in all areas, especially to further strengthen economic and trade ties between the two countries.
At the end, a symbolic cake made on the occasion of the 104th anniversary of Independence Day was cut and photos were taken.
The event featured an exhibition of photographs reflecting the history, culture and tourism potential of our country. Various videos about our country were also shown.