On 2 February, the employees of Emergency Situations Ministry and several guards in the square behaved aggressively towards employees of Turan Information Agency, Objective TV video correspondent Rasim Aliyev, and Voice of America representative Tapdig Farhadoglu at Flag square. The journalists were forced to leave the area and were spoken to inappropriately by the guards.
The largest flag in the world is in trouble once again. Specially commissioned by the President, the Azerbaijani flag that flies out from Baku Bay is the biggest in the world—and it’s causing problems.According to an anonymous source, “At 6 this morning, the upper part of the flag pole began to sway dangerously in the wind. The flag was lowered and a team of climbers arrived. They climbed up the tower and refastened the flag.”
Two 9-floor residential buildings nearby were evacuated. They have been cleared for residents return, though the buildings will be evacuated again if there are further problems with the flag.
The first incident of this kind took place in September of last year. The flag was torn up by strong winds a day after its inaugural raising. Officials blamed the incident on the flag’s material.
The flag is 35 by 70 meters, and weighs 350 kg. The flag pole is 162 meters high.
Guinness World Records confirmed on May 29 that Azerbaijan boasts the tallest flag pole is the world. According to unofficial reports, the project cost 20 million AZN.