Mammad Amin Rasulzade was then chosen a leader of the newly formed republic. As a beacon of hope for Azerbaijan's 20th century independence movement with his saying, "Once raised, the flag never falls!" Rasulzade played a key role in the formation of the modern Azerbaijani identity. On June 4, 1918, friendly political, legal, trade, and military ties between Azerbaijan and Turkey were solidified shortly after the Treaty of Batumi, signed between the newly established Azerbaijani Democratic Republic and the then-Ottoman Empire.
