13/2024                                                                               06 December 2024

We will mark the first anniversary of the establishment of the Third Republic Platform (ResPlatform) on December 7, 2024.

This significant milestone follows the founding of ResPlatform on December 7, 2023, which coincided with the 105th anniversary of the Azerbaijani parliament. The ResPlatform was created by experienced public and political figures who possess the knowledge and skills necessary to tackle the fundamental issues facing our country. Our vision is to foster a society prioritising human dignity, while our mission aims to facilitate a transition from a managed society to a self-governing community. Positioned as an opposition movement, ResPlatform is founded on the core values of republicanism, secularism, and decentralisation (RSD).

Since its inception, ResPlatform has actively engaged with the Azerbaijani public through its Post-Karabakh Agenda. We have proposed ideas aimed at breaking free from the extreme statism that has plagued our political landscape and addressing the country’s pressing issues through modern, decentralising democratic principles. With the Karabakh conflict now behind us, we believe the focus of Azerbaijani politics should shift away from concentrated incompetent governance. To achieve this, ResPlatform, foremostly, invites progressive citizens to political participation and foster collaboration.

Throughout our journey, we have developed conceptual documents addressing the nation’s core challenges, participated in public discussions, and sought to maintain our institutional foundation despite an environment of repression. 

The Aliyev Government has responded to ResPlatform’s initiatives with a wave of reactionary repressive measures. In December 2023, our Founding Board member, Araz Aliyev, faced an unjust 25-day administrative detention on political grounds and was subsequently expelled from Baku State University. In March 2024, police raided the ResPlatform’s office, leading to a criminal investigation against our spokesperson and leader, Akif Gurbanov, who has since been unjustly detained. During this raid, founding members Ruslan Izzetli and Araz Aliyev were arrested and mistreated. Although they were later released, Ruslan Izzetli was implicated in the same criminal case and is currently being unjustly held in custody. Several other founding members have also been questioned as witnesses. The pro-governmental media launched a smear campaign against ResPlatform, portraying our Post-Karabakh Agenda as a provocation against the achievements of the Karabakh war. This campaign underscores the Government’s profound intolerance towards the sole political entity proposing a progressive agenda for the country’s transformation and its intent to pull us into a quagmire of reactionary politics.

As we celebrate ResPlatform's first anniversary, we reaffirm our commitment to our principles and values. We will not waver in our principled opposition to the Aliyev Government and will continue to uphold our movement's foundational and conceptual documents.