Azerbaijan, Baku, June 13 / Trend E. Mehdiyev /
California's newspaper Monterey Bay News & Views published an article dedicated to a reception organized to celebrate Azerbaijan Republic Day and consul general in Los Angeles Nasimi Aghayev's visit to Monterey, Azerbaijani consulate general in Los Angeles said today.
"Azerbaijan is one of the world's oldest civilizations," the message said.
"At its 1918 inception, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic became the first modern parliamentary republic in the Moslem world and granted equal rights to all its citizens including the right to vote for women - two years before the United States granted women's voting rights," the message said.
Today, Azerbaijan is a rapidly growing state seeking closer economic ties with the United States and Europe, the message said.
Last year the City Council named the Azerbaijan city of Lankaran on the Caspian Sea as a "Sister City" to Monterey, the message said.
Farmers in Azerbaijan don't use pesticides or fertilizer, and have produced disease-resistant seeds. Monterey County agricultural officials are eager to learn about them to improve crops here.