his year will mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), said Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.

He made the remarks on Thursday at the opening of the 6th Global Baku Forum titled "Bridging Gaps to Create Inclusive Societies".

A hundred years ago, the people of Azerbaijan became the first nation in the East to build a democratic republic, the president noted.

“For the first time in the East, women were given enfranchised before many European countries. Two years later, unfortunately, the independence of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic came to an end. It is more difficult to maintain independence than to gain it. The founders of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic would be feeling proud had they seen today’s Azerbaijan. We, too, are proud of the founders of the ADR’s founders,” President Aliyev added.

In his speech, the president also touched on the first quadrilateral meeting of the Azerbaijani, Turkish, Georgian and Iranian foreign ministers, which is due to take place in Baku on March 15.

The president went on to say that Azerbaijan will be hosting a ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement next month.

“Azerbaijan closely cooperates with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and currently working on a new partnership document with the European Union, which shows that Azerbaijan's intentions are oriented towards friendship and partnership. These achievements show that Azerbaijan is on the right path,” President Aliyev said.