In 1989, the declaration of sovereignty was decided upon, and the nation changed names to Repulic of Azerbaijan in 1991, and the current flag was instituted. In the center of the horizontally divided blue, red, and green flag is depicted the Islamic symbol, the new moon and star. Blue represents the Turkish ethnic groups'color, red, the advancement of modernization and democratization, and green, the fact that the nation is an Islamic one. The eight streaks of light from the star expresses the eight Turkish ethnic groups in the nation.