On this historical day
Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited liberated from occupation Fuzuli and Jabrayil districts, as well as Fuzuli and Jabrayil cities
On November 16, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Victorious Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited Fuzuli and Jabrayil districts, liberated from occupation, as well as Fuzuli and Jabrayil cities.
President Ilham Aliyev instructed to build a road from Fuzuli district to Shusha city. The construction of the road has already started. President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva inspected the progress of a project’s implementation.
President Ilham Aliyev said:
– It is a significant day in our country’s life today – it is a historic day. The groundwork for the Fuzuli-Shusha highway is being laid today. I cordially congratulate all the people of Azerbaijan on this occasion. This road is vital because this road leads us to Shusha – Karabakh’s crown jewel.
Many roads have been built in our country in recent years. I can say that more than 16,000 kilometers of roads have been built since 2004, and these roads are of high quality. According to this indicator, Azerbaijan holds one of the leading positions in the world. But this road has a special significance. As I said, this road leads to Shusha. At the same time, this is the first project to be implemented in the liberated lands.
After Shusha’s liberation, the enemy realized that there was completely no point in resisting us. One day after Shusha’s liberation, the heroic Armed Forces of Azerbaijan liberated more than 70 settlements from the occupiers, which was the last blow to the enemy. It is no coincidence that on November 10, the enemy signed a capitulation act. November 8 is the day of our glorious Victory. The people of Azerbaijan will always celebrate this day from now on. Shusha’s liberation showed our strength, our Army’s professionalism, and our servicemen’s courage and heroism. The capture of Shusha was an operation that required outstanding skills and valor. I am confident that this operation will have a special place in the world’s military history books. Our heroic servicemen carried that operation themselves, having had to cross mountains, forests and paths, armed with light weapons only. The liberation of Shusha from occupation is our glorious Victory.
We have already started development work. Eight days after the Victory Day and six days after Armenia’s capitulation, the construction of the Fuzuli-Shusha highway begins from here – from the settlement of Alkhanli. This road will be very comfortable and broad. This road will allow us the opportunity to get to Shusha and back quite effortlessly.
The Second Karabakh War is our glorious Victory. The occupied territories have been liberated from the occupiers. The damage caused by the enemy is being calculated and will be calculated accurately. All the affected people will return to their ancestral lands with state support. We will carry out this work in a planned way – the calculation of damage, accurate records, and then the reconstruction work.
As you know, the enemy has destroyed the entire infrastructure in the occupied and liberated lands. Our cities have been destroyed, and this once again shows the enemy’s savagery. The whole world will see it now. The entire world will see what savage enemy we are facing.
We are currently at the phase of conflict’s political settlement. At this stage, Azerbaijan is achieving and will achieve what it wants. The military phase of the conflict is over. The liberation of Shusha and the liberation of more than 70 settlements on November 9 had put an end to the conflict’s military phase. I said at the outbreak of the conflict – of the Second Karabakh War, and I wish to repeat with great pride today that a military-political solution to the issue was available, and Azerbaijan proved that on the battlefield. We forced the enemy to sign an act of capitulation, and thus our occupied Aghdam, Lachin and Kalbajar districts will return to Azerbaijan in the coming days. But look at the atrocities committed by the despised enemy – they torch houses, burn schools, cut down trees, break power lines. The whole world can see that all the leading international television channels have shown that. They have no conscience, no shame, and no morality whatsoever. Therefore, the Victory in the Second Karabakh War is of tremendous historic significance. It is not just a matter of liberating Azerbaijan from its occupiers. At the same time, it shows the whole world and all the occupiers that this is how they end up. It is the end of invaders and occupiers.
This wonderful groundbreaking ceremony today has great symbolism. We are building a new road from the liberated city of Fuzuli, from the villages leading to Fuzuli and onwards, from Fuzuli to Shusha. This road has never existed. Azerbaijani citizens would know that in Soviet times the road to Shusha passed through the territory of Aghdam – the Aghdam-Khankandi-Shusha road. It is not yet possible to use that route now.
I once again sincerely congratulate all the people of Azerbaijan on this wonderful occasion. Karabakh is ours! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva then posed for photographs together with road construction workers.
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The head of state and first lady arrived in the liberated Fuzuli city. President Ilham Aliyev raised the glorious Azerbaijani flag in the city of Fuzuli.
These moments are one of the most glorious pages in Azerbaijan’s modern history. The Victorious Commander-in-Chief raised Azerbaijan’s tricolor flag on the historical land liberated by the heroic Azerbaijani Army.
President Ilham Aliyev said:
-The city of Fuzuli has been liberated from the occupiers. The Azerbaijani flag has been raised in Fuzuli. We have returned to Fuzuli. But it hurts to see the destroyed villages and the city of Fizuli along the road. Look what these savages have done to our city! They have destroyed everything; they have demolished houses and destroyed the entire infrastructure. There is not a single building standing. The whole world should see what the Armenian savagery means, and we will show it to the entire world, not only Fizuli but also Agdam and other cities. It was as if a savage tribe had devastated these lands. They wanted to destroy and plunder everything, to erase our cultural, historical and religious heritage, but they could not achieve what they wanted. Because we had to come back, we had to return. We have come back, we have returned. We have driven the enemy out of our lands and raised the State Flag of Azerbaijan here. From now on, we will live on this land, as we have done for centuries; our people have lived here for centuries.
The despised enemy had also changed the name of Fuzuli, gave it some ugly name. Fuzuli is named after our genius, our great poet Mahammad Fuzuli. We have restored this name. The destroyed city of Fuzuli is a living witness to Armenian fascism. The whole world must see this and not remain silent, as it has been silent and indifferent for 30 years. That indifference reinforced the Armenian occupation. We were urged to put up with this situation and to resolve the issue peacefully. We have heard the same words year after year for 30 years – there is no military solution to the conflict; this issue must be resolved peacefully. But we have proved that there is a solution to the conflict, including a military solution. Thanks to our heroic servicemen’s courage and bravery and at the cost of our martyrs’ lives. We have proved this to the whole world. There is a military solution to the conflict, and we have achieved it. If it had not been for this military solution, the enemy would not have signed an act of capitulation.
From the first days of the war, I said that the Armenian leadership, Armenia’s Commander-in-Chief – if such a title can at all be attributed to him – should declare; provide a timetable when they vacate each district. Then we would have stopped. Otherwise, I said, we would go to the end, and we did. Fuzuli, Hadrut, Jabrayil, Zangilan, Gubadli, Shusha, and more than 70 villages were liberated one day after Shusha’s liberation. A total of more than 300 settlements were liberated, the enemy’s back was broken, and the enemy knelt and was forced to surrender on November 10 by signing an act of capitulation precisely due to our strength. We forced the enemy to do so, we showed the enemy where it belongs, and we showed the Azerbaijani people’s greatness.
For 30 years, the Armenian leadership, their patrons, pro-Armenian and Azerbaijanophobic forces had been inventing myths about Armenia’s strong Army, the Armenian people being combative, and the Azerbaijani people incapable of fighting. We have destroyed this fabrication; we have shown who are combative people. We have shown who victorious people are. Those who led Azerbaijan in the early 1990s simply did not pay attention to army building and dragged our country into chaos and anarchy. In those years, when our lands were occupied, the then government started a civil war. The PFPA-Musavat tandem took their own soldiers prisoner and bombed Gandja. That was why the lands were lost. The Armenian people are going through what the Azerbaijani people went through in 1992.
The people of Azerbaijan overthrew that loathed government a year later. After Heydar Aliyev came to power, all the positive trends began to develop. Our Army is one of the strongest armies in the world today. We have shown the whole world that the Azerbaijani people are invincible, and it was the Azerbaijani Army that was victorious. We have destroyed the Armenian myth. We have shattered the Armenian fabrications. We have put them in their place, we put them on their knees, and they will live with this mark, they will live with this mark of humiliation. For our part, we will live on with a sense of pride – as victorious people and a powerful state, with an invincible army and a strong will.
During these 44 days, there was steady pressure, threats, orders, messages and signals from different sources and places. I said that no-one could stand in front of us; we will go to the end. The loathed enemy must accept our conditions, provide an exact date, and ultimately, they were forced to do so. That is why the people of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis worldwide are celebrating our brilliant Victory with great pride these days. This Victory befits our people, befits our brave sons, befits our state, and this Victory has shown our strength. It showed that Azerbaijan would never put up with this situation. For the 17 years, I have been President and Commander-in-Chief, I have repeatedly spoken about the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. I said that we would never allow for the establishment of a second Armenian state on Azerbaijan’s historical land. I said that the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan had never been and never would be negotiable. I said that Azerbaijan would restore its territorial integrity. I said that if it was impossible to do so peacefully, we would restore it by military means. My speeches are available. They have been published. I said these words, and I did what I said. We have restored our territorial integrity, expelled the occupiers from the occupied territories, prevented the establishment of a second Armenian state, and there can be no talk of any status. There is a single state – Azerbaijan. There is a multiethnic, multi-confessional and progressive state of Azerbaijan. All Azerbaijani citizens, representatives of all peoples and religions, live normally, in peace and harmony. The Armenian people will live like this too. We have nothing against the Armenian people. In numerous interviews over the past 44 days, I have said that they are our citizens, and they will see that they are better off under Azerbaijan, that they must get rid of the criminal and cowardly junta. The separatist leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh are cowards. Their cowardice was witnessed by the Armenians living there and by the Armenians living in Armenia. So many people fled! The head of their junta was hiding in a bunker and couldn’t even stick out his nose. Where are your courage and bravery?
We have defeated the Armenian Army and, at the same time, taught a lesson to the criminals who led Armenia for years. Pashinyan has destroyed his country in the last two years, and now he is only preoccupied with how to save himself from the wrath of the Armenian people. We have destroyed the Kocharyan-Sargsyan Army. They are the ones that have destroyed our lands. This time these cowards could not even stick their noses into the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Where is your heroism? The fake “hero” medals you have put on your chests – get rid of that metal scrap and throw them into the trashcan – we have defeated you. Pashinyan is nobody. Kocharyan and Sargsyan, the Azerbaijani people’s executioners, the slaughterers of Khojaly, we have defeated you, we have destroyed your Army. If Armenia had not signed the act of capitulation, they know how this war would have ended. This is our strength. This is our unity. The iron fist crushed your head, and from now on, no-one will speak to us in the language of ultimatums. In particular, the humiliated Pashinyan, the one that put forward seven conditions. We hit him on the head with those conditions. Where are those conditions now? I had one condition – get out, get lost, and that condition was met. Thanks to our strength, thanks to our unity, thanks to our heroes, thanks to our martyrs. Here, in the liberated city of Fuzuli, I once again pray for Allah’s mercy on all our martyrs, wish patience to their relatives and thank their parents for raising such heroes for our state and our people. Their memory will live forever in our hearts. I wish Allah’s healing to all our wounded servicemen. I am sure that they will soon return to everyday life and always be at the center of our attention.
All our servicemen, the residents of Fuzuli and other liberated lands should know that we will restore all these places. I said earlier that we could not find a single building in Fuzuli to raise the Azerbaijani flag. But we will restore them all. Relevant instructions have been given, we will do everything in a planned manner, we have invited international experts, and they will come. We will assess all the damage together. After that, we will invite urban planning specialists – both Azerbaijani and foreign. They will come here, and a new urban plan will be introduced. Restoration of villages, cities, infrastructure, and environmental measures – all these plans are there. We will do it all, Inshallah, everything! Allah willing, we shall do it all. Just as we returned our lands, destroyed the enemy and raised our tricolor flag, we will solve all other issues. Karabakh is ours! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
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While driving, the head of state saw people gathered along the road and stopped the car to meet with them.
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President Ilham Aliyev, who drove the vehicle to Jabrayil, said:
– Jabrayil district. We are heading for the Khudafarin Bridge. The Khudafarin Bridge is ahead.
These are the houses of Azerbaijani citizens destroyed by the savage enemy.
There are the Araz River and the Azerbaijan-Iran border – border of friendship.
As we drive, we see villages destroyed by the enemy, and we see yet again what kind of savage enemy we are facing. After seeing this, people are further convinced that we have restored our territorial integrity and destroyed the predatory enemy. There have been many wars in the world, and some are still going on. The occupation continues in some places, but I do not believe anyone has ever faced such a ruthless and callous enemy.
Our historic Victory is the one over Armenian fascism. Our Victory is the restoration of truth and justice. Today, November 16, will be a special date in my life because, in a few minutes, we will approach the Khudafarin Bridge, our ancient architectural site.
These mountains are ours. They have always been ours. But for about 30 years, the enemy sat in these mountains, these lands – lands of our ancestors and challenged us.
We will restore all the houses destroyed by the savage enemy.
This is the Khudafarin water reservoir.
Below us is the Araz River. Now we are entering a tunnel. The neighboring Islamic Republic of Iran is over there.
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The President and the First Lady arrived at the Khudafarin Bridge. These moments will be enshrined with golden letters on our history pages.
President Ilham Aliyev hoisted the glorious Azerbaijani flag on the Khudafarin Bridge. It is a source of pride for the Azerbaijani people that the President raised our flag on the historic Khudafarin Bridge. Khudafarin, a place that has left a deep mark on our people’s spirituality and history, is also a national pride matter.
President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva then walked along the Araz River banks and took photos in front of the Khudafarin Bridge.
Then the President and the First Lady left for Jabrayil.
The road to Jabrayil is in the same condition. This is the ugly face of Armenian occupiers. This reveals the true nature of Armenian vandals, displays their true colors.
President Ilham Aliyev: We are entering the city of Jabrayil. The enemy has created military bases for themselves here. There is nothing in the town but military facilities.
President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva arrived in the city of Jabrayil liberated on October 4.
We are living the moments our people have longed for over many years. The President and Commander-in-Chief also raised our tricolor flag in the city of Jabrayil.
President Ilham Aliyev: The city of Jabrayil has been liberated from occupation, and the state flag of Azerbaijan has been raised. I congratulate all the people of Azerbaijan. Karabakh is ours! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
Let’s now check out some buildings.
This was the enemy’s police station. Now the Azerbaijani police are standing here.
Notice what the despised enemy has done to the city of Jabrayil. The whole world should see this. Let them see and know what vile of an enemy we are facing. All buildings have been destroyed and looted. Their goal was to prevent Azerbaijanis from living here again. We will live here! We will live here forever! We will restore all these buildings, all of them. Notice what is left of them. Has any international organization raised this issue in 30 years? Has any monitoring been carried out here? The whole world will see now what they have done to the city of Jabrayil.
This is the center of Jabrayil. There is not a single safe building. They did not leave behind a single safe building. Only there they build a military base for themselves. The enemy has demolished entire infrastructure, houses, buildings, schools, and public facilities.
They will be held accountable for this. They will answer in international courts. I have said before, but I want to say again that international organizations and experts will come here, and all the damage will be assessed. The damage inflicted in over 30 years will be calculated. The enemy who is destroying Kalbajar these days, cutting down forests, setting residential buildings and schools ablaze will be held to account.
They thought that the people of Azerbaijan would never return here after this destruction. They have destroyed it for that purpose. But they were wrong. We are back. Look, we are standing here, on our native land, in the city of Jabrayil. We will restore all these places.
A new master plan will be drawn up. Relevant instructions have been given to develop a master plan for each city. All office buildings, public buildings, schools and medical centers will be established here. The entire infrastructure will be put in place. Streets, parks and alleys will be built. Victory monuments will be erected in all the cities, and life will return here.
The people of Azerbaijan will live, build and create here again. But today’s history will never be erased. These destroyed houses are witnesses to Armenian savagery. Azerbaijani people used to live in these houses. The hated enemy came here and drove them out of their lands, destroyed their buildings, appropriated and plundered their property. The enemy is a thief, an immoral and dishonest enemy. Again, I want to say that our brilliant Victory is not only about the restoration of our country’s territorial integrity. It is also about a struggle between good and evil. The forces of evil have been defeated, and we have won because we are here to create and build. The Armenians have only devastated everything.
We will restore all this, restore everything. The people of Azerbaijan will show their greatness yet again. We will prove to the whole world that we are a great nation. We are back; we have returned by fighting. No-one has handed these lands to us. No international organization has put pressure on the aggressor. No-one demanded that they implement UN Security Council resolutions. Their goal was simply to keep the conflict in a neither-war-nor-peace status, to keep everything in a frozen state, to perpetuate the occupation, to erase the historical heritage in our lands, to Armenianize our lands, to give our cities and villages their ugly Armenian names and erase this issue from the memory of the Azerbaijani people. But they were wrong. I have repeatedly said that we will never put up with this occupation. Every resident of Jabrayil lived with a desire to return to their ancestors’ lands.
Justice has prevailed. The victorious Armed Forces of Azerbaijan have prevailed. The enemy’s back is broken. The enemy has been driven out of our lands. The Azerbaijani flag has been raised in the liberated lands and will fly high there forever.
Karabakh is ours! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
https://en.president.az/articles/46840
Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited liberated from occupation Aghdam city
As reported earlier, on November 23, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Victorious Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited the city of Aghdam, liberated from occupation.
Driving the car on the way to Aghdam, President Ilham Aliyev said:
– Look at the enemy’s line of defense. The enemy had several lines of defense, all the way to the city of Aghdam, look at that.
Now we are driving into the liberated lands. The destination is the city of Aghdam. We have liberated the city of Aghdam and the occupied lands of Aghdam district without firing a single shot. We have defeated the enemy on the battlefield and forced them to withdraw from the Aghdam district.
Look, here is another line of defense. On the right are the houses of Azerbaijani citizens destroyed by the enemy. Let the whole world see what the savage enemy has done to our villages, what savages we were facing, what savages we have defeated. The entire world should see this.
There is not a single safe building here. Everything is devastated. They have destroyed our houses and villages; they exploited our lands. The enemy will be held accountable for all the war crimes. We will also invite journalists to Aghdam, including foreign journalists and representatives of the diplomatic corps. Let them come and see.
The head of state raised Azerbaijan’s tricolor flag in Aghdam. The national flag of Azerbaijan is now flying proudly in Aghdam, liberated from occupation after 27 years. Every Azerbaijani watches this with pride and great joy.
The head of state and first lady then visited the Aghdam mosque. The mosque with two minarets, which became a place of hope and refuge for the survivors of the Khojaly genocide, was also savagely destroyed by the enemy.
President Ilham Aliyev presented the Holy Quran he brought from Mecca to the Aghdam mosque.
The President and First Lady prayed in the mosque.
The head of state delivered remarks in front of the Aghdam mosque.
Remarks by President Ilham Aliyev
– Dear fellow countrymen.
As you know, the occupied city of Aghdam and Aghdam district were liberated on November 20. I have congratulated the people of Azerbaijan, the people of Aghdam on this occasion. Today I am here, in the city of Aghdam. I visited the Aghdam mosque and raised Azerbaijan’s state flag there. We have returned to Aghdam. I want to congratulate once again all the people of Aghdam on this historic event. I know that the people of Aghdam have been looking forward to this day for many years. Both during the occupation, for about 30 years, and during the Second Karabakh War – the Patriotic War, they waited for Aghdam to be liberated from occupation. We have honorably fulfilled our historic mission and liberated the occupied territories from the enemy. The Victory on the battlefield made the liberation of Aghdam district, as well as Kalbajar and Lachin districts possible, without firing a single shot and without sacrificing a martyr.
We have returned to these lands at the cost of the lives and blood of the Azerbaijani people, our martyrs, and the courage of our heroes. We had to gather strength, and we did that. Over the past 17 years, I have repeatedly told the people that we must be more vigorous and build a stronger army. The factor of strength plays a decisive role in the world today. Justice is on our side, international law is on our side, and power should be on our side too. It was because we weren’t strong enough that Azerbaijani lands were occupied in the early 1990s. We were gaining strength and becoming stronger. I said that every Azerbaijani citizen should bring this sacred day, this Victory day, closer through their work, hard work, and dedication to the Motherland.
We have done a great deal at the international level, and I have informed the people about that in my speeches. Today, after the war and even during the war, the whole world, all the people of Azerbaijan, saw how important that was. If we had not created the necessary legal framework for resolving the conflict, we could have encountered problems today. We have had all international organizations adopt decisions and resolutions that recognize and reflect justice and international law. Four UN Security Council resolutions were adopted in 1993. Then we created a solid legal basis for resolving the conflict by having the UN General Assembly, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Non-Aligned Movement, the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopt respective decisions and resolutions.
All these critical steps have been taken since 2003, and we have got the upper hand in the political arena. Simultaneously, the “Partnership Priorities” document initialled between Azerbaijan the European Union two years ago contains clear statements about Azerbaijan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of our borders. It is our great success because we could not achieve this for many years. Some international organizations did not want to call the aggressor by its name. Some international organizations did not want to expose the occupier in the documents adopted in connection with the occupation. Even four UN Security Council resolutions did not mention Armenia as an aggressor state and referred to it as “Armenian forces”.
We have created a legal ground for resolving the conflict over the past 17 years. I communicated Azerbaijan’s position on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, its historical realities, and the current situation to all my colleagues in all of my international contacts. The Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has a special place in almost all of my bilateral international contacts. It is enough to go through my speeches. Over the past 17 years, I have expressed my views on this issue in almost all of my addresses, informing the international community about it. Unfortunately, in the early 1990s, the world did not have a full picture of the conflict, and there was distorted information. There was information circulated by the Armenian lobby. Otherwise, the U.S. Congress would not have passed the notorious Section 907 while our lands were occupied. Azerbaijan’s lands were under occupation, but the U.S. Congress recognized Azerbaijan as an aggressor and deprived us of humanitarian aid. The Armenian lobby achieved this at the time. Azerbaijan’s diplomacy failed to take adequate steps to counter them.
We have won the information war. We have fully informed the world about the Khojaly genocide. There was no information about the Khojaly genocide in the world. It is possible to say that the “Justice for Khojaly!” campaign and the recognition of the Khojaly genocide by more than ten countries as an act of genocide created a picture reflecting the realities of the conflict and conveyed it to the world community.
We, the country chairing the Non-Aligned Movement, have kept this issue in the spotlight during our chairmanship in the Non-Aligned Movement, the second-largest international body after the United Nations. Today, Azerbaijan chairs the organization, which brings together 120 countries. A summit was held last year. The people of Azerbaijan saw again how important this was because, during the Second Karabakh War, there were attempts at the UN, the UN Security Council to adopt a new resolution. If that resolution had passed, it would not have stopped us, of course, but it could have entailed undesirable circumstances. It was countries of the Non-Aligned Movement that prevented that resolution’s adoption and supported us. I also thanked them and said that they stood behind us like true gentlemen, even though big powers exerted enormous pressure on them. Many members of the Non-Aligned Movement recognize Azerbaijan as an independent and strong country ready to defend them. We have provided humanitarian and financial assistance to more than 30 countries during the pandemic, including special assistance to the Non-Aligned Movement through the World Health Organization. All this work has paid off. We were able to get the necessary international support in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh issue, which is a crucial issue for us.
Today we chair not only the Non-Aligned Movement but also the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States. Our international relevance is high, and it has played a notable role in having this conflict resolved.
During these 17 years, I have always said that we must provide a strong impetus to the economic sector, ensure economic independence, and we did exactly that. Today we do not depend on anyone economically. If we were, we could come under pressure. The pressure was still there, but to no avail, due to the pointlessness of using the economic factor against us. We do not depend on anyone, on any country or international financial institution.
On the contrary, we are a donor country now. We lend money to others. Our strong economic potential and financial resources have allowed us the opportunity to ensure economic independence fully. It has also played a unique role in our Victory. If we were not economically independent, we would not be able to achieve political independence. Without political independence, we could not liberate our lands from the enemy, an enemy with great powers behind it, with very influential circles of those powers, Armenian lobby organizations.
These factors have increased our prowess and paved the way for our Victory. The number one issue is our military might. I have repeatedly said that building up our military capacity is the primary issue for us. It is no coincidence that during my presidency, our military expenditures topped other budget expenditures every year. I have said and explained to our people that we have many other issues, some problems need to be addressed, but our primary concern is that our lands are under occupation. That is why military expenditures come first among others. We bought the necessary military hardware. We demonstrated that equipment and modern weapons during numerous parades on Azadlig Square. We adopted the most advanced trends in the development of our Army. We acquired weapons that would give us an advantage, and the Second Karabakh War demonstrated that.
Today, many countries, many developed countries are studying our experience. Many experts in this area note that Azerbaijan waged 21st-century warfare. For the first time in the 21st century, historic achievements of this scale and magnitude have been made in such a short time. On my way here, I saw at least three lines of defense. But according to the information given to me by the military, there were five lines of defense here. The same goes for Fuzuli. Thanks to our soldiers and officers’ heroism and professionalism, we have crushed these lines of defense. We are technically equipped with the most modern weapons, and the Second Karabakh War revealed that, and there are videos available. They are now being studied; they will be reviewed in many countries and included in military books.
Simultaneously, we were strengthening our Army’s combat capability because it was clear that Victory could not be won by weapons alone. It is a soldier and an officer who raises the flag, raises the flag on the enemy’s positions, raises it on liberated lands. Our soldiers and officers fought like lions. We gave martyrs. May Allah have mercy on all our martyrs! May Allah grant their parents patience! We have wounded servicemen, and they are recovering. Many of them have already recovered. May Allah send healing to them! We have won this war thanks to our heroic soldiers and officers. I am sure that the operation to liberate Shusha will forever go down in history. We have destroyed the enemy in an almost hand-to-hand battle, crossing ravines, forests and mountains with light weapons, and ultimately liberated Shusha – Karabakh’s crown jewel.
All these factors have preconditioned our Victory. I want to emphasize again that the people of Agdam have been waiting for this day for many years – for almost 30 years. At the same time, they were waiting during the Second Karabakh War. I know and feel that as our cities, districts and villages were liberated from occupation, the people of Aghdam also looked forward to when their villages and the city of Aghdam would be liberated. Jabrayil was liberated, Fizuli was liberated, Hadrut was liberated, Zangilan, Gubadli, Sugovushan, and Shusha were liberated, and the people of Agdam probably wondered why Agdam was not being liberated.
I can say that now. I wanted to communicate this message to the people of Aghdam in some form, but they should also understand that I could not do that during the war. There were five lines of defense here. The enemy was expecting us here. We could not afford to attack where the enemy was waiting. We kept a large military contingent in this direction so that the enemy’s military forces would remain engaged and not be deployed elsewhere. After the liberation of Fuzuli, Hadrut, most of Khojavand district and Shusha, of course, we already intended to move towards the city of Aghdam. The order was given that the next direction was Aghdam. The enemy also knows and already admits that if they had not accepted my conditions to vacate our lands, they would have died here. We were on our way to Aghdam.
It is too premature to disclose all the secrets of the war. Fascinating matters will emerge in the future. But I can say with full confidence today that the Agdam operation was part of our plans. We would have taken Aghdam one way or another, but there would have been casualties, a significant number of casualties. Therefore, after liberating Shusha and more than 70 of our villages on November 9, we broke the enemy’s back; they surrendered, raised a white flag, agreed to my terms and admitted their defeat.
Almost from the first days of the war, I said in my numerous interviews and nationwide addresses – everything is documented – I said give us a timetable. I said, Pashinyan, you personally, not your foreign minister or defense minister, who were fired after this defeat, but you, Pashinyan, must give us a timetable, you must do it yourself, and I succeeded.
If he had listened to me, he would not be in such a miserable situation now. I am fully convinced that we would have liberated our occupied lands. The enemy thought that someone would help them out. They thought that all their supporters would come and fight against us on their behalf. They made a grave mistake. After the liberation of most of Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Hadrut, Zangilan, Gubadli, Shusha, Sugovushan, Khojavand districts on the battlefield, the enemy fell to its knees and remains on its knees today. We have broken the enemy’s back. We have won a glorious Victory. We have proved to the whole world that Armenians’ legends and myths are all nonsense. There are more than 10,000 deserters in the Armenian Army, and there would have been more. If we executed the planned operation in Aghdam, thousands of Armenian servicemen would have either fled or died.
We have shown that it is the people of Azerbaijan who are true warriors. We have shown that we will never put up with this occupation. Let them look up my speeches. I have said perhaps a thousand times in the last 17 years that we would not put up with this occupation. They thought that they could keep our lands under occupation forever. Those who invested so much and built so many fortifications here, in Fuzuli, in Jabrayil wanted precisely that. There were several days of fierce battles for Soltanli village of Jabrayil district. They built fortifications there that are second to none in the world. Why? They did not want to vacate those lands. They thought that they would live there forever. They tried to Armenianize our lands. The whole city of Aghdam has been destroyed. They demolished it in the 1990s so that if a peace agreement were signed, the Azerbaijani people would not be able to return and live here. Everything is mined. Most of the mines are here. But they were wrong. All these years, we have been living with one desire, with one wish – to return to these lands, and we have returned. We have destroyed Armenia’s Army. Armenia’s Army is almost non-existent now. We have crushed the war criminals. We have annihilated their scum. I said this in Fuzuli, and I want to repeat that we have destroyed Kocharyan’s and Sargsyan’s Army. We have shown our strength against Kocharyan and Sargsyan. We have defeated them. Who is Pashinyan?
I do not want to talk about him now. I have already said what was needed. Kocharyan and Sargsyan, you have knelt before us. You have brought this place, all the occupied lands, to this plight. You have destroyed this mosque. They fled and went into hiding during the Second Karabakh War. They could not even stick their noses into the battle zone. So, where is your heroism? I said to them – take out this metal scrap; it has no value. You are wearing hero medals on your chest. They are fake heroes.
Look, at me – I am standing here, in front of the mosque you have destroyed, in the city of Aghdam which you destroyed. I came here with my Army. I came here as a winner, while you will live the rest of your pathetic lives with a mark of defeat and cowardice. Why are you hiding there like mice? Kocharyan and Sargsyan, I am talking to you. Pashinyan is nobody. His only concern now is to cling to power. Therefore, he is imprisoning the entire opposition. The West remains silent about this. Why is there a deafening silence? Can’t they see what’s going on there? War criminals and Khojaly executioners, we have obliterated you. Azerbaijani soldiers, Azerbaijani officers have destroyed you. And it serves you right!
Today, it is excruciating to see the city of Aghdam destroyed. But a few years ago, when I was in this area, I looked at that building through binoculars in our trenches. It is difficult to express these feelings in words. It is impossible. It was so painful to look at our city on our lands, see that building from afar through binoculars, and not be able to come here. Many times when I was on the line of contact, in the trenches, I thought that one day we would return; we would restore our territorial integrity.
Today, I presented the Holy Quran I brought from Mecca to the Aghdam Mosque. I am happy to have visited Mecca four times – once with my late father and three times as President. I am happy that I prayed with my family inside the Holy Kaaba. I have the same feelings in my heart as everyone else. My first prayer was for the liberation of our lands from occupation. I asked Allah to give me the strength to liberate our lands from the invaders, provide us with this happiness, and return to our ancestors’ land.
Today, in front of the mosque destroyed by vandals, I am saying that I am fortunate. I praise Allah for answering my prayers and giving me this strength. We are living through these historic days, having mobilized our prowess. These are truly historic days. Perhaps there have never been such glorious and proud days in the centuries-long history of Azerbaijan. We have achieved this thanks to our unity and our strength. Nobody helped us. On the contrary, they only wanted to hamper us. I will talk about this in detail due time.
It was the Republic of Turkey that supported us morally and politically for 44 days, my brother President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and leaders of several other Muslim and non-Muslim countries. We have achieved this Victory through unity, determination, strong will and strength. Today, after the end of the war, some leaders from Western countries are raising the issue of Christian shrines in the liberated lands under Azerbaijan’s control. They express these concerns both during conversations with me and in their official statements. No-one should worry, especially the leaders of Western countries that ignite Islamophobic sentiments, those who have turned a blind eye to the insults of Islam and even justified those who were insulting it. They have no right to talk about it. This is the first. Second, all the shrines across our territory are our historical heritage.
Azerbaijan hosts the Baku Humanitarian Forum or the Forum on Intercultural Dialogue every year. Azerbaijan hosts summits of leaders of world religions. Go and see what they say about us. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation cites the attitude towards Islam in Azerbaijan as an example. During his visit to Baku, Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Kirill praised the work in this sphere in Azerbaijan and visited Orthodox churches. In his official speech during his visit to Baku, Pope Francis spoke about tolerance, religious tolerance and multiculturalism in Azerbaijan. Who can criticize us? Those who shut down mosques? Can those throwing the heads of slaughtered pigs into Muslim mosques lecture us and express concern? They do not need to voice any concerns. The state protects all our historical sites. On my instruction and at the government’s expense, two Orthodox churches are being repaired, while the third church has already been restored, with an auxiliary premise also completed. During the war, our Udi brothers’ church was repaired and put into operation by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. Our Caucasian Albanian churches are our national treasure. The same goes for our Georgian churches, the Armenian сhurch. The savage enemy kept cows and pigs in this mosque. These pictures are available on the internet. They kept pigs in the liberated Zangilan mosque, in the Jabrayil mosque.
We work very closely with UNESCO. But if they want to come and visit Christian shrines, they should come here. Come and tell what savage Armenians have done here. Also, a few years ago, the ambassadors of Minsk Group co-chair countries visited this mosque. They conducted fact-finding missions twice and told me that they had visited the Aghdam mosque. Why didn’t they raise this issue? Why didn’t certain Western leaders express their concern? Does this mean that Muslim mosques can be desecrated and destroyed; cows and pigs kept here? Let them say so, let them deal with their countries’ problems and not interfere in our work. Let no-one meddle with our work. We have made it here ourselves. We have come here despite all those countries’ efforts, we have come regardless of all the provocations, we have shed blood, and we are standing on our land. Let every one mind their own business. We have, and we will respond to those who want to interfere in our work.
It is a historic day today. We are celebrating our glorious Victory. The ruined city of Aghdam is a witness to Armenian atrocities. We will restore the city of Aghdam and all the villages. Let no-one ever doubt that. It will be a difficult task. Of course, it will take much effort. But just as we have shown unity for 44 days, I am confident that we will show unity and determination in the restoration of our liberated lands. We will restore all our cities and built even more beautiful cities. We will restore the remaining historical sites in our cities and show our strength once again.
We have won our Victory by driving the enemy out with an iron fist, and now we are standing on our land.
Long live the people of Azerbaijan! Long live the Azerbaijani soldiers and Azerbaijani officers! Aghdam is ours! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
https://en.president.az/articles/47685
Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited Gubadli and Zangilan districts
As reported earlier, on December 23, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited the liberated from occupation Gubadli and Zangilan districts.
Driving the car on the way to Gubadli, President Ilham Aliyev said:
– We are on the territory of Jabrayil district. We are on liberated lands. On the right are our villages destroyed by the Armenians. We are heading for the Gubadli district.
– Destroyed vineyards. All villages are destroyed. The electricity poles on the left and right of the road were installed shortly after we liberated these lands.
– All villages are destroyed. The enemy will be held accountable for these crimes. The enemy had devastated all our towns, historical and religious monuments. The whole world should see it.
– A memorial from Soviet times. It is a memorial for World War II. They have destroyed it too.
– Another destroyed village.
First lady Mehriban Aliyeva: What is the name of the village?
President Ilham Aliyev: Goyerchin Veysalli village. The Armenian fascists destroyed it. Even the Nazis did not commit such atrocities during World War II. See what savage enemy we were facing, what evil forces we have defeated?! We have liberated our region and the Caucasus from fascists. We will restore all these villages. But, first of all, all the villages, all the destruction in them will be documented and registered.
– We are driving through the territory of the Zangilan district.
– Babayli village. It is also in ruins.
– There is not a single safe building. Have a look. All the buildings are destroyed. Here is an old cemetery.
– Beautiful views of Zangilan district. What a magnificent place. We will restore it all. Here is Uchunju Aghali village. It appears the Armenians lived here. But notice how they lived here. I have been saying that the Armenians live in poverty on the occupied territories, and this is proof of that. They came to our village and destroyed most of it.
The Armenians occupied our houses. Residents of Uchunju Aghali village will probably recognize this house. They came here, occupied someone else’s lands, left people homeless, lived in other people’s homes, turned them into ruins and then claimed that that was ancient Armenian land. Fraudsters, thieves, liars and savages have kept our lands under occupation for almost 30 years. All these videos will be material evidence for our claims in the legal field.
– Birinji Aghali village. It is destroyed too. But some houses have survived. The Armenians lived in our houses. From now on, we will live in our own homes. Let them go and live in their homeland.
– Selali village. This village is also destroyed. See what they have left behind. Even before the war, I was saying that all our villages and cities had been looted. Armenians torn down roofs and took away window frames and all other items. They openly looted and exploited our lands.
– They demolished one half of the house and lived in the other half. Notice what they have left behind. Looters!
The savage enemy passed through these lands and destroyed them so that the Azerbaijani people could never return here. Inshallah, we will all return. Everything is destroyed.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: This is probably a military base.
President Ilham Aliyev: The Azerbaijani flag has already been hoisted there. Military bases were built to keep our lands under occupation forever, but we threw them out of here and expelled them from our lands. Rightful owners of the land are returning here now.
Notice how they have cut down the trees. See what the wild enemy has done – it has chopped down all the trees. Zangilan has a vibrant nature and rare forests, also known for its plane trees. See what the enemy has done. The whole world should see this. Whom have the pro-Armenian forces defended to this day? Let the countries that have adopted resolutions against us open their eyes and have a look. You hypocritical politicians open your eyes, have a look. Your parliaments have adopted resolutions. We couldn’t care less about your resolutions. They are just a piece of paper. But the fact is that the accusations against us are baseless again. Members of the French Parliament, members of the Belgian and Dutch parliaments, have a look and see what your beloved Armenians have done to these lands? Look at the map, look up the encyclopedia and see which country Zangilan and Gubadli districts are part of. You are adopting resolutions – hell with those resolutions. Look at them, accusing Azerbaijan!
– Khanlig village of Gubadli. Fierce battles for Khanlig village took place. The Armenians have given our historical ancient village an ugly name. Khanlig village is located on the territory of Gubadli district. We are now in Gubadli district. Armenians have built military fortifications and a military base in Khanlig village. An illegal settlement was carried out here. Armenians brought from abroad were resettled here illegally. That is another war crime. According to the Geneva Conventions, a country that conducts illegally resettlement in the occupied territories commits a crime. Have a look. A settlement was built in Khanlig for the Armenians from abroad paid by the Armenians residing in different countries.
Here is agricultural equipment produced in the 1950s. Armenians living abroad have committed a crime. The Armenians were brought here from abroad and resettled on our lands. After demolishing the houses of the Azerbaijanis in Khanlig settlement, they built homes for the Armenians. This is an Armenian car. They were driving such vehicles. And these are the names of our heroic soldiers – they wrote their names on these houses. Bilasuvar, Shabran, Sabirabad, Shusha, Oguz. This is what you get for illegal resettlement. This is another Armenian car, have a look.
President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva arrived in Khanlig village of Gubadli, where Armenia had carried out a policy of illegal settlement, and met here with servicemen.
President Ilham Aliyev: Hello, guys.
Soldiers: Thank you!
President Ilham Aliyev: How are things? How are you?
Soldiers: Thank you very much!
President Ilham Aliyev: How is your service?
Soldiers: Excellent. Everything is good.
President Ilham Aliyev: Very good. This is a settlement built by the Armenians in our ancient village. Our houses were destroyed, and then this settlement was built with Armenians’ money, those who came from abroad. We are living here now. You are stationed here currently. You are doing your service here. We have returned to our native lands and liberated them on the battlefield. We have driven the enemy out of our lands – thanks to soldiers like you. The whole world saw what Azerbaijani soldiers and Azerbaijani officers are capable of.
Come on, guys, come on here.
Soldiers: Welcome, Mr. President.
President Ilham Aliyev: Great to see you! This is our ancient land. Our people have lived on these lands for centuries.
Soldier: A brave man, what a brave man! Well done!
President Ilham Aliyev: Hello, hello. Let’s take a picture afterward.
We showed our strength on the battlefield. We have expelled the Armenians from our lands. We have raised the Azerbaijani flag on our lands. We have fulfilled the greatest wish of the Azerbaijani people on the battlefield, not through negotiations. They were deceiving us. For 27 years, the Armenians built settlements here for themselves and brought Armenians from abroad. Khanlig settlement was given an ugly Armenian name.
Soldiers: Your words are our motto: “We chased them down like dogs”.
President Ilham Aliyev: They saw our strength. They thought that they would live in our lands forever and challenge us. We ran out of patience, and I said – charge!
Soldiers: Thank you, long live Azerbaijan! May you always be at the helm!
President Ilham Aliyev: Heroic Azerbaijani soldiers showed their strength to the whole world. I am aware that our combat tactics are now being studied in the world’s leading military schools. This is a novelty, a war of the 21st century. We have liberated our lands from occupiers thanks to the professionalism, resolve, national spirit and heroism.
Soldiers: Thanks to your leadership and determination.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.
Soldiers: We are proud of you. Long live Azerbaijan!
President Ilham Aliyev: Long live Azerbaijani soldiers!
Soldiers: Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
President Ilham Aliyev: Let’s take a picture.
Soldier: Happy birthday, live to be a hundred, may Allah prolong your life!
Then President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva left for the city of Gubadli.
President Ilham Aliyev: Two large rivers pass through the territory of Gubadli district: the Hakari River and the Bazarchay River. Here is one of them, have a look. Most likely, this is the Hakari River. This is Ashaghi Mollu village.
– A photo of our martyr Rufat Asgarov. Rest in peace! May Allah rest the souls of all our martyrs in peace!
First lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Rest in peace!
President Ilham Aliyev: Beautiful views of Gubadli district. Another village razed to the ground. We will rebuild everything, including the roads and infrastructure. What a gorgeous view!
That is probably the Bazarchay Rover because the Hakari River flows on one side of Gubadli and the Bazarchay River on the other side. It is also called the Bargushad River.
– Gazyan village. Look, they have written something in Armenian there. It should be dismantled. Let us do it. Bring it down.
– Dilalimushkanli village. This village is also destroyed. All the houses are destroyed. One or two houses remain standing. The enemy lived in them. This is Saray village. Saray village is located near the city of Gubadli. This village is also destroyed.
See what the enemy has done to the city of Gubadli. All buildings are destroyed. They only built a military compound for themselves. This is the city of Gubadli. This was probably their warehouse. Here is another demolished house. The Armenians built a military base at the entrance to the city of Gubadli. The sun has come out. Nature also welcomes and greets us. Rightful owners of this land are here. See what they have done to the city of Gubadli? See what the enemy has left behind?
President Ilham Aliyev raised the Azerbaijani flag in Gubadli.
The head of state delivered remarks there.
Remarks by the President Ilham Aliyev:
– It was raining this morning, but when we reached Gubadli, the sun came out. Nature itself is greeting and welcoming us. Real owners have returned to Gubadli. The liberation of Gubadli from occupation was a historic event. The liberation of Gubadli on October 25 brought us closer to victory. There were fierce battles for Gubadli. We had martyrs. Among them, National Hero Shukur Hamidov, born here in Gubadli, perished as a hero in the battles for his homeland. I awarded the title of a National Hero to Shukur Hamidov for his heroism in the April 2016 battles. May Allah rest his soul in peace! May Allah rest the souls of all our martyrs in peace! Azerbaijani servicemen, including Shukur Hamidov, have been awarded high military orders by the state.
The operation to liberate the Gubadli district took several days. After the liberation of Zangilan on October 20, of course, our next destination was the Gubadli district. The Armenians had built strong fortifications in the city. There are no traces of the city. All buildings have been destroyed and demolished. All the villages and settlements in Jabrayil, Zangilan and Gubadli districts have been devastated along the road. But here, at the entrance to the city, the enemy had set up a military compound. Enemy troops were positioned at these heights. This is why it was not easy to liberate the city of Gubadli. First of all, Armenian fortifications had to be destroyed, and one of them was located in Khanlig settlement. They had built solid fortifications there and turned the Khanlig settlement into a base for themselves. The Armenians living abroad had built a settlement there. But it is Azerbaijani soldiers who are stationed in this settlement now. Armenians were brought here from abroad with the Armenian diaspora’s money and were illegally resettled in Gubadli. This is a war crime in itself. The Armenian state will be held accountable for this and all other crimes.
To liberate Gubadli, we first had to capture these elevations because the enemy was constantly firing on our soldiers from those heights. At the same time, we were fired on from the territory of Armenia proper. Azerbaijan did not intend to move into Armenia’s territory, and I have repeatedly stated this during the war. They believed that they could use that to their advantage to stop our attack. The distance from here, from the city of Gubadli to the Armenian border over there, is five kilometers. They fired on our soldiers with heavy artillery both from there and from those heights. Therefore, the Gubadli operation required extraordinary professionalism and self-sacrifice. And Azerbaijan’s Army showed that professionalism and self-sacrifice. First of all, we took the heights overlooking the city, the surrounding villages, including Khanlig settlement, Padar, Sariyatag, Mahmudlu villages, and other strategic elevations. Then Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces entered the city and cleared it of the enemy.
The liberation of the Gubadli district and the city of Gubadli gave us a tremendous strategic advantage because the next destination after Gubadli was Lachin district. Every day, I approved a combat operation plan. Daily, the work was summarized and analyzed – to what extent the job was done during that day and what goals we achieved. The road from Gubadli to the southern part of the Lachin district was constantly under fire. Because the road to Lachin district passes right next to Armenia’s state border – the distance there is perhaps 10-20 meters, so Armenia was constantly firing on us from that side. Therefore, our military units reached Lachin district’s strategic heights by other roads and various mountain paths. Thus, Gulabird, Safiyan and Turklar villages located in the southern part of Lachin district were liberated. In the meantime, the capture of strategic elevations allowed us to keep the Lachin corridor within firing range.
The enemy expected us from there. Of course, the enemy was well aware that the war wouldn’t stop without the liberation of Shusha. After taking over the Lachin district’s southern part, the enemy thought that we would advance towards Shusha from there. We also knew that the enemy was awaiting us there. Therefore, we moved towards Shusha from another direction, a direction they did not expect. They are still in disbelief as to how our heroic soldiers and officers approached Shusha through those mountains, valleys and forests, and liberated Shusha from occupation. They were expecting for us both here and in the direction of the Girmizibazar settlement of Khojavand district. But we went towards Shusha in another direction. Approaching Shusha, we liberated several villages, including Sighnag, Chanakhchi and Dashalti. The Gubadli operation was of great importance because it was after Gubadli that we liberated the city of Shusha from occupation. Gubadli was liberated on October 25, and Shusha was liberated on November 8. And the enemy was forced to surrender.
The accomplishments of ours during the war are now studied in the military schools of leading countries. I have detailed information about this. Our foreign partners have informed us that Azerbaijan’s military tactics and operations are now studied in the higher military schools of the most developed countries – our modern combat tactics. No-one in the world had used such tactics before us. All of the key factors here were aimed at achieving the goal by inflicting crushing blows to the enemy with minimal losses and virtually destroying the enemy’s army, which is precisely what happened. We launched a counter-offensive on September 27 and then switched to the full offensive. We had to liberate our lands. Armenia’s provocations had to be stopped.
The killing of innocent people had to be stopped. After the counter-offensive, the attacking side usually suffers more casualties. However, our losses are minimal, given the scale of the war. Every single martyr is irreplaceable. The death of each person is a great tragedy – for their relatives and for the entire nation. But we must also say that we have achieved what we wanted with little losses. This is probably why some people think that this matter could have been resolved earlier. However, it requires great heroism to liberate this territory from the occupation in 44 days – destroying the enemy, eliminating their army and forcing the enemy to surrender.
We tried to build our tactics so that the losses were minimal. At the same time, there were quite a few unexpected steps in our tactics as well. The tactical methods we used are a novelty for the world’s military science. More information on this issue will be provided in due course. However, foreign media suggests that this war is and has been seriously analyzed by military experts. Professionalism, heroism, planning, firm resolve, national spirit, technical capabilities – all these factors combined and the unity of the people and the government have preconditioned our victory.
Every day, we were moving forward, and over the course of 44 days, there was not a single day on which we retreated. There was not a single day on which we did not achieve our plan. Every morning, I approved the daily combat plan, which was subsequently analyzed at the end of that day. As a result, we were able to achieve a great victory in a short time and liberate our native lands from the enemy. We have dealt such devastating blows to the enemy that it has not yet been able to recover.
The trilateral statement signed on November 10 was, in fact, a capitulation of the Armenian state. Armenia surrendered, threw in the towel and dropped to its knees. After that, Aghdam, Lachin, and Kalbajar were returned without a single shot being fired. Today, it is Azerbaijani soldiers who are serving in those districts. This is an outstanding achievement. We would definitely have taken those districts by fighting, but we could have suffered many losses, especially in the direction of Aghdam, which was extensively mined. Also, there were several lines of defense.
Moreover, especially if we consider the weather conditions, Kalbajar and Lachin districts’ liberation by military means would have been fraught with heavy losses. Winter had already begun, and the roads were frozen. It takes hours to cross into Kalbajar from the Goygol district.
Therefore, the statement signed on November 10 is of great importance. Of course, if we had not liberated a large territory from the invaders, if we hadn’t broken the enemy’s back and achieved the desired goal of destroying the enemy army, the enemy would not have signed such a humiliating document for them. We forced them, expelled them from our lands, and, as always, I remained true to my word. From the early days of the war, I said that the Armenian leadership must explicitly state when, on what particular date, it would vacate our lands. It had to give us an exact date. If that had happened, we would have stopped the war. But we were not given a date. They carried on with their ugly deeds and occupation and resorted to various tricks to involve foreign countries. If the Armenian leadership had heeded my words and taken the right step, it would not have been such a humiliation. I said that we would go to the end, and we did go to the end. We stopped at the right time. We returned the three districts without a single shot fired, without a single loss. We have restored our territorial integrity.
Today, the Azerbaijani flag is flying in the occupied territories. Today, as Commander-in-Chief, I am meeting with soldiers in these liberated lands. Specific steps have already been taken to restore this region, the Karabakh region. Initial contracts have already been signed. The despised enemy has destroyed everything there. Everything along the road is destroyed – from Jabrayil district to the liberated lands in Gubadli. There is not a single safe building. Only a few buildings remain in Gubadli, where their servicemen and their families used to live. The loathed enemy has destroyed all buildings, houses, historical sites, mosques, and graves. All those crimes are documented.
When I visit these liberated territories and see the atrocities committed by the Armenians, I get further convinced what a great service we have done to ourselves and our entire region. We have caved in the head of Armenian fascism. It is the Armenian fascism that has brought our lands to this plight. We have broken the back of the fascist Armenian state, the terrorist state. We brought it to its knees, so they must draw the right conclusions. Armenian society must draw the correct conclusions. If they still cherish any revenge sentiments, the end will be bitter. If a single bullet is fired here from the other side – the Armenian border is 5 kilometers from here – we will crush them so hard they will forget their own names.
We have achieved our goal. The Victory Parade was held on December 10. In that Victory Parade, we demonstrated the enemy’s destroyed military equipment, the trophies we have taken and presented our military potential. We will continue to strengthen our army. Next year’s budget is now being discussed. On my initiative, military spending is increasing because we used a significant amount of ammunition and military hardware during the war and it needs to be replenished. At the same time, there are plans to continue purchasing modern equipment. Our army’s modernization, our military’s combat potential, and our army’s professionalism will always be in the spotlight.
We have won a victory! We have driven the enemy out of our lands! But no-one can guarantee that Armenian fascism will not rise again in a few years. Therefore, the Azerbaijani state must always be strong. The Azerbaijani state must always have a powerful army. We know how strong we are. And so does the world. If we had wanted, we could have carried out any military operation not only on our territory but also inside Armenia. We still can. The Armenian side is also aware of that. But we have always respected international law, and I have always said that we don’t set our sights on other countries’ lands. We must live on our land. We will live here. We have driven the enemy out of our lands, and we will restore this entire region.
Gubadli district is one of the most beautiful parts of the country, and all the necessary restoration work will be planned in a short time. Foreign experts have been involved and invited, and they will do all the appraisal work. Video and photo documents are collected, and the entire extent of damage will be calculated. Our lands have been exploited. Our natural resources have been plundered. A gold deposit in the Zangilan district has been exploited. The same holds true for other liberated territories. The Armenian state will be held to account for all this. In the meantime, all the restoration work will be carried out. We will restore all our cities, settlements and villages. Our people will return there, and we will live on our lands forever. No-one can expel us from our lands ever again.
In my many addresses to the nation before the war, I said that Azerbaijan was a strong country and that we were strong as ever. When I said this, I meant not only our economy but also our military potential. History and the results of the war have proven me right. Azerbaijan had never achieved such a brilliant Victory in its entire history. Azerbaijan had never been as strong in its entire history. Our strength lies in our unity. We have shown unity, we have demonstrated perseverance, we have shown heroism, and as a result, we have crushed the enemy with an iron fist and liberated our native lands. Karabakh is Azerbaijan! Long live Azerbaijani soldiers! Long live Azerbaijan!
Then the head of state and the first lady left for the liberated from occupation Zangilan district.
– President Ilham Aliyev: Zangilan. Zangilan city is close.
In Zangilan, the enemy has destroyed everything too. Look at the destroyed houses. Notice what state this house is in.
President Ilham Aliyev raised the Azerbaijani flag in Zangilan.
President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva then visited the mosque in Zangilan, destroyed by the hated enemy.
Standing in front of the mosque, President Ilham Aliyev said:
– Notice what the despised enemy has done to the mosque. The enemy has destroyed all our religious sites. The world has been tight-lipped for 30 years. We have repeatedly raised this issue, raised it in the international arena – our historical and religious sites have been destroyed and desecrated. We have shown those images many times. Showing the condition of the Aghdam mosque, Shusha’s mosques and other mosques under occupation at the time, we said that the enemy had destroyed and desecrated our religious sites.
After the liberation of Zangilan, a video was circulated of pigs in one of the mosques. The enemy has insulted our religion, insulted all the Muslims. There was a mosque here, but now it is gone. They have destroyed it. Some are now raising the issue of the religious heritage of the Armenian people in the liberated lands now. But why didn’t anyone raise the case of our national and religious heritage? Some UNESCO official has recently made a groundless statement that they had allegedly asked us, but Azerbaijan remained silent. We have repeatedly appealed to UNESCO for 30 years, repeatedly stated that our mosques had been destroyed, our historical sites have been devastated, and the Armenians have misappropriated our historical sites. Have they sent a mission here at least once? Has our request been answered at least once?
As soon as the war ended, they started to advocate for the sites of the Armenian people. We are protecting all the sites. We are protecting the places of value for all nationalities, and the world knows that. But you should have a look. There was a mosque here, UNESCO, get over here, come and see this. The Council of Europe – don’t remain silent. Come and see this! All our mosques are destroyed. Is it alright to destroy mosques? Is it not a crime to demolish a mosque? How much longer will this injustice last? How long will this hypocrisy last? How long will these double standards last? How long will this Islamophobia last? It was the Armenians who destroyed it. Can someone positioning oneself as a civilized person and regarded as such by some foreign patrons do this? Can a civilized person keep pigs in a mosque? Let the whole world see this! Let Muslims of the world, the peoples of Muslim countries, see this. What kind of friendship can we talk about with a country that has committed this? Unfortunately, we still hear that some Muslim states refer to Armenia as a friendly country. The executioners who ruled this “friendly country” for 20 years have done this. They came here and destroyed our mosques and insulted us. The whole world should see this. If any claims are made against us, we will respond.
Let international organizations come and see this, reflect this in their reports, condemn the occupying state and see what kind of evil we fought against, expelled this evil from our lands, and threw them out of here. See what happened to our cities. There is not a single safe building. I have come here, all the way from the liberated lands in Jabrayil and Gubadli to Zangilan. There is not a single safe building. All the buildings have been demolished. Our villages have been renamed, and ugly names have been given to them. Our mosques are in this state now. Armenia will be held accountable. It will be held to account! We have expelled them from our lands, destroyed them and their army. I am sure that even after these images, “international officials” trying to criticize us will continue to remain deaf mute. We will restore this mosque, and our citizens will come and worship here, the call to prayer will come from here, and life will return to these lands.
President Ilham Aliyev: Now we are heading from Zangilan back to Baku. Along the way, we enjoy the beautiful nature of Zangilan. See how beautiful these places are. While visiting Gubadli and Zangilan districts, we saw again what the savage enemy has done to our cities and villages. Lands occupied for 30 years have returned to their owners. We are back. We have destroyed the enemy and emerged victorious. After a while, life will return to this region, Inshallah.
Now we are heading for Baku. I say thank you to Mehriban Aliyeva for filming the video. Please show yourself too.
First lady Mehriban Aliyeva: With deep respect and love, your Mehriban.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, dear sisters and brothers. Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
https://en.president.az/articles/49394
President Ilham Aliyev laid foundation stones for Fuzuli-Shusha highway and Fuzuli airport in Fuzuli district, visited the city of Shusha
On January 14, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev laid the groundwork for the Fuzuli-Shusha highway at the 27th km of Ahmadbayli-Fuzuli-Shusha highway, and that for an airport in Fuzuli district.
President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva then visited the city of Shusha, the capital of Azerbaijani culture liberated from occupation.
The newly developed project of the Fuzuli-Shusha highway includes the construction of bridges and tunnels. The new road will be connected to Fuzuli airport, and another new one will be built to Isa Bulaghi.
The head of state and first lady laid the groundwork for the road.
President Ilham Aliyev then laid the groundwork for the international airport in Fuzuli district.
The airport, to have a 2,800 meters long runway, will be equipped with infrastructure in compliance with international standards. All amenities will be available here for the arrival and departure of planes and passengers’ comfort.
President Ilham Aliyev said:
-Today, on January 14, the foundation of Fuzuli International Airport was laid. I have informed the Azerbaijani people about the construction of the airport. It is an essential project for the development of our liberated regions. The Fuzuli International Airport is to be commissioned this year. At least the runway should be commissioned in 2021. The airport building may be commissioned this year or next year. This airport’s primary purpose will be to cater to the needs of foreign visitors arriving in Shusha. The distance from here to Shusha is not long. Considering the foundation of a new four and six-lane Fuzuli-Shusha highway was laid earlier today, foreign visitors will be able to arrive at the Fuzuli International Airport and travel to Shusha very comfortably in no time.
I have declared Shusha the cultural capital of Azerbaijan. Work has begun to restore the city of Shusha, restore its historical appearance. In general, only two months have passed since the war ended, but extensive construction work has already begun. A second international airport will be built in our liberated lands in Kalbajar or Lachin district. A site is now being selected, and the construction of two international airports must be completed soon.
The Grand Return begins. The work has already started. I am sure that just as we drove the enemy out of our lands in a short time – in a matter of 44 days – we will restore our ancestral lands of Karabakh in a short time.
Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
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President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva then headed to the city of Shusha.
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President of Azerbaijan, Victorious Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, hoisted the national tricolor flag in Shusha.
The head of state then met with the servicemen and delivered remarks.
Remarks by President Ilham Aliyev
– Dear servicemen, November 8 will forever go down in the history of our people. On November 8, Azerbaijan won a brilliant victory by liberating our ancient city of Shusha from the enemy. The liberation of Shusha required extraordinary heroism, professionalism and national spirit. Azerbaijan’s army demonstrated all these inspiring features.
I have come to Shusha using the Victory road. That road is now open. There was no road there before. Azerbaijan’s heroic army, crossing mountains, forests, valleys and tens of kilometers, liberated villages and settlements along the way, approached the city of Shusha, liberated the village of Dashalti and then liberated Shusha from the occupiers.
I am confident that the Shusha operation will be included in leading international military schools’ textbooks. I already know that experts from many developed countries analyze every single day of the 44-day war because every day of the 44-day war is a story of triumph. The liberation of Shusha was a tremendous blow to the enemy because the enemy thought that it was impossible to liberate Shusha, and they were probably right to some extent. Panahali khan built this city, so that steep rocks and natural landscape would protect Shusha from all sides. In May 1992, Shusha was occupied due to the betrayal of the then leadership of Azerbaijan and the PFPA-Musavat duo fighting for power. At that time, the Armenians gave their so-called operation a name – Wedding in the Mountains. But there was no operation. The city of Shusha was surrendered. The then minister of defense said that if Shusha were lost, he would shoot himself in the head. Instead, he cowardly fled Shusha. After that, the Armenians invented legends about this operation – the so-called “Wedding in the mountains”. We have arranged a “wedding” for them they will never forget. The heroic sons of Azerbaijan liberated Shusha from the occupiers by conducting a flawless military operation, demonstrating courage, bravery, heroism, strength and national spirit. After a long break, Azerbaijan’s flag was raised in Shusha on November 8.
In my remarks at the inauguration of the magnificent National Flag Square in Baku, I said the day would come when Azerbaijan’s flag is hoisted in the occupied territories, including Shusha. And this is the day. I remember some representatives of the Armenian separatist regime saying at the time that Azerbaijan’s flag could be raised in Shusha only if Azerbaijan recognized the so-called “Nagorno-Karabakh republic” and then opened an embassy in Nagorno-Karabakh. Notice what disgusting and arrogant expressions they used. They are hiding like mice now, tight-lipped, unable to utter a word. We came here as winners. We raised our flag. Azerbaijan’s flag is flying in all the liberated lands. We have come here through fighting. Nobody handed these lands to us. Negotiations were futile. We realized that we had to liberate our lands on our own, and we did that. We have proved our strength to the whole world by crushing the enemy’s head. We forced the enemy to kneel before us and sign the act of capitulation. That is is what happened, and the humiliating act of capitulation will go down in history forever. The whole world is talking about our Victory. Leading media outlets worldwide write about Azerbaijan’s brilliant Victory and publish reports. Analytical articles are now being published, and books will be written.
The 44-day war of our glorious army is the war of the 21st century. We had appropriately prepared for this war, and we made no secret of that. I have said many times, including in my meetings with the military, that if the enemy does not leave our lands of its own free will, we will force them out of our lands. Force will play a role, and so it happened. Every single day of the 44-day war was a day of Victory. Every day we moved forward. We did not drop back a single time. It is an infrequent occasion in wars.
There are offensives during the battles, and then there are fallbacks and maneuvers. Yet, we advanced every day. Every week we liberated dozens of settlements from the occupiers. As a result, we liberated more than 300 settlements and Shusha by dealing crushing blows to the enemy. We forced them to withdraw their troops from Aghdam, Lachin and Kalbajar districts in just 20 days. They were thrown out of our lands, and we returned. From the day the war began, I told them to commit to vacating our lands. I said that the Armenian leadership should take this responsibility and give us a timetable for leaving our lands, and only then I would stop the war. Otherwise, we will go to the end. Despite the pressure, the phone calls and threats, I said that we would go to the end and drive the enemy out of our lands. We did that. We went all the way; we drove the enemy out and forced them to sign an act of capitulation on November 10, thus ending the war.
This war will live forever in our history. We won this war through sacrifices – our martyrs’ lives and blood, and thanks to our servicemen’s bravery. May Allah have mercy on all our martyrs! May Allah grant patience to their relatives! All martyrs’ families are taken care of by the government. All martyrs’ families will be provided with apartments and houses by the state. Instructions have already been issued this year. The allowance for martyrs’ families has been increased from 300 to 500 manats, and these families will always be in the spotlight. The state has already provided apartments to the families of 9,000 martyrs killed in the First Karabakh War. Our wounded servicemen are being taken care of by the state. We will address the rehabilitation of disabled servicemen and provide them with modern prosthetics. I have awarded high orders and medals to thousands of servicemen who showed heroism in the war.
The Order of the Patriotic War is the highest military order of Azerbaijan. The “Victory” Order, the “Karabakh” Order. I suggested the names of all these orders myself. The servicemen who distinguished themselves in the liberation of our settlements and cities were awarded medals bearing these districts’ names. Our army successfully liberated Jabrayil, Fuzuli and Khojavand districts, Sugovushan and Hadrut settlements, Murovdag range, the southern part of Lachin district, Gubadli, Zangilan districts and the city of Shusha on November 8. On November 9, the enemy surrendered, threw in the towel, was put on its knees and conceded defeat.
We are a victorious people. I last came to Shusha 39 years ago. I came here twice 39 years ago – first on January 14. Here I am again today, on January 14. I arrived as the Commander-in-Chief of the victorious Armed Forces of Azerbaijan. I have come as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army that broke the enemy’s back, and I state it here under the sacred flag and before the heroic servicemen that we will live in these lands forever! We will restore Shusha and all other destroyed cities and villages. We will restore all our destroyed historical sites. Armenia spread falsifications about Shusha worldwide, claiming that Shusha is their ancient city. How can a city built by Panahali Khan be an Armenian city? After all, this is a matter of recent history, recent events. If they considered it their city, why did they bring it to such a deplorable state? Why did they destroy all the buildings? Look at the plight of the city. Over 30 years, they razed everything to the ground and only built villas and created amenities for themselves.
We will restore this city. A large group was sent here on my instructions and carried out an assessment. I received the first update yesterday and already issued relevant instructions. Soon, we will ensure the restoration of Shusha in a planned manner. Of course, we must protect Shusha like the apple of an eye from now on. Our soldiers, our heroic sons, will protect Shusha so that the enemy does not venture to look in this direction. I said that if anyone in Armenia even thinks of revenge, they will deal with our iron fist again. This iron fist broke their backs and crushed their heads. If they commit any provocation against us, our response will be harsh. They will regret and face a bitter defeat again. No-one can confront us. That will always be the case from now on. Azerbaijan’s Army, Special Forces, our heroic sons, fighters of military units must cherish Shusha and all the liberated lands like the apple of an eye so that the enemy never dares to attempt anything ever again. If they do, the end will be bitter.
At the end of my speech in the Alley of Martyrs on November 8, announcing the liberation of Shusha to the people of Azerbaijan, I said: dear Shusha, you are free! Dear Shusha, we are back! Dear Shusha, we will reinvigorate you! I repeat the same words today. Shusha is ours! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
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Then a photo was taken together with the servicemen.
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President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva visited Saatli Mosque in Shusha.
The head of state presented the Holy Quran to the mosque.
President Ilham Aliyev said:
– We have visited the Saatli Mosque, prayed there and presented the Holy Quran from Mecca to the Saatli Mosque. We will then visit the Ashaghi Govharagha and Yukari Govharagha mosques. I will present the Quran I brought from the holy Mecca to these mosques. During the occupation, the enemy destroyed our religious sites in the liberated lands, devastated 67 mosques or made them unusable. After the liberation of Shusha, our citizens cleaned up the mosque and carried out some repairs. Of course, the mosque will be overhauled, relevant instructions have been issued, and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation has undertaken this mission. Mehriban khanim made a statement on this. We will restore all our historical and religious sites.
I must say that the overhaul and restoration of the Aghdam Juma Mosque I visited most recently already began. Experts have already been sent there, and proposals for repairs will be submitted soon. At the same time, mosques in Shusha will be restored. The destruction of the minaret shows the Islamophobic nature of the enemy. Armenia is continuously trying to establish relations with Muslim countries, develop ties with some countries, and position itself as a country with a positive attitude towards Muslim peoples. That is a lie. If anyone still believes this, let them come to Shusha, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil and other liberated lands of ours and see what Armenian leaders have done to Muslim mosques – the temples sacred to every Muslim. They have destroyed and desecrated them, kept pigs and cows in them, wrote obscenities on the walls of our mosques. Can such a country be friends with Muslim states? Of course not! I have repeatedly stated this on all international platforms and addressed Muslim countries’ leaders in bilateral and multilateral meetings and international events. I have said that Armenia cannot be friends with Muslim countries. A country that has brought mosques to this condition cannot be friends with Muslim states. It is hypocrisy, and viewing Armenia as a friendly country is hypocrisy and ungodliness. How can Muslim countries’ leaders be friends with a country that has destroyed mosques? Let them answer. Let them respond to their people, not to me. Can they be friends with a country that has destroyed mosques and put cows there? Let their people answer this.
We are protecting and will continue to protect the temples of all religions. Let no-one doubt that. The history of our independence and the pre-independence history showed that. The religious sites of all faiths are protected in our country – churches, synagogues, including an Armenian church in the center of Baku, are protected and repaired by the state. What did they do? While in Zangilan, I delivered remarks outside a local mosque, or whatever is left of it. I appealed to the people of Azerbaijan and said what they have done. Addressing the international organizations, I said, come and see this, prepare a report here, not in your cabinets. Don’t believe the false information of the Armenian leadership and its patrons. Come and see what they have done to our mosques with your own eyes. They repaired the Yukhari Govharagha Mosque jointly with a foreign company to create an image. We do not need this repair. This repair is a symbol of hypocrisy. It is intended to create the impression that the Armenian leadership repairs mosques. Unfortunately, the company of a particular country was involved in these ugly deeds. Of course, the Yukari Govharagha Mosque repair is unacceptable because they came to our lands illegally without our permission, stayed here for months, and allegedly repaired this mosque in collaboration with the Armenian criminal junta. We do not need such repairs. Let no-one be deceived; no-one should fall for this. We will repair and rebuild all our mosques, and the whole world must see what the hated enemy has done to our holy temples.
After the liberation of Shusha, restoring the city and all its historic buildings began. Attempts to Armenianize Shusha have been stopped. For 30 years, they tried to Armenianize Shusha, but they failed. They were aliens in this city. If they ever considered it their own, they would not have brought it to this deplorable condition. The real owners of Shusha are back. We are here. Shusha is ours! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
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The head of state, the first lady and their daughter Leyla also visited the Ashaghi Govharagha and Yukari Govharagha mosques in Shusha.
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As a result of Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani lands, including Shusha, historical and cultural monuments were destroyed, and home museums were looted.
Busts to Khurshidbanu Natavan, Uzeyir Hajibayli, Bulbul in Shusha are among them. These shot busts are witnesses to Armenian vandalism. In one of his speeches, President Ilham Aliyev said that after the restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, busts to Bulbul, Natavan and Uzeyir Hajibeyli would be returned to Shusha. These words of the head of state have already become a reality. The busts of these prominent figures were returned to Shusha.
President Ilham Aliyev said:
– When I came to Shusha today, I brought the busts of our geniuses Khurshidbanu Natavan, Uzeyir Hajibayli and Bulbul, which were kept in the premises of the Arts Museum in Baku for almost 30 years. The cultural center of Shusha, the House of Culture, was located here, and the busts of Uzeyir Bey and Bulbul used to stand here. The hated enemy destroyed the Shusha House of Culture and shot at our prominent individuals’ figures.
The bust of Khurshidbanu Natavan was unveiled personally by Heydar Aliyev in the summer of 1982. I was here with my father at that time. There was a bust of Khurshidbanu Natavan not far from here. After desecrating our prominent personalities’ figures, the Armenians took them to Armenia to be melted down and sold. Just imagine how evil is that to shoot at and insult the memorial busts of historical personalities, take them away and try to melt them down. At that time, Poland Bulbuloglu found out about that and appealed to great leader Heydar Aliyev. As a result of the measures taken, these busts were taken away from the Armenians. I must say we had to pay for them. They sold them – just as they have sold everything else throughout their existence. We repurchased these busts. We brought them back then and placed them in the Arts Museum’s premises.
Every now and then, some people suggested that we put these busts somewhere in Baku. I said no to that. We will take them back only after liberating Shusha from the enemy and put them in their original places.
The busts of our great personalities are a symbol of our Victory. Their spirits will be rejoicing. They have returned to their homeland. We brought them back, chased the enemy away, crushed the enemy, threw them out of our lands, took back Shusha and liberated it. Everyone coming here to Shusha will see the Armenian savagery.
Historical justice is being restored. We are restoring historical justice – at the expense of strength, perseverance, resolve, courage, and national spirit! Natavan, Uzeyir bey, Bulbul are the embodiment of our national spirit. Their cherished memory has lived and will live on forever in our hearts. Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
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President Ilham Aliyev, the First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva also viewed the building of Shusha District Executive Authority, Natavan bulaghi, and the house-museum of Bulbul.
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President Ilham Aliyev, the First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva arrived at the place where the bust and mausoleum of Molla Panah Vagif once situated.
Delivering remarks in front of the mausoleum, President Ilham Aliyev said:
– The mausoleum of Molla Panah Vagif, built on the initiative of great leader Heydar Aliyev, was inaugurated exactly 39 years ago – on January 14, 1982. I remember that historic day. Because at that time, along with my father, I was standing right here. There is video footage of that historic event. It was freezing and snowy. It was snowing heavily. However, the people gathered at this event, Azerbaijani intellectuals did not feel that cold because of the magnificent mausoleum of Molla Panah Vagif, the vizier of the Karabakh khan, being inaugurated. Great leader Heydar Aliyev put forward this initiative. The construction work was carried out under his guidance, and a beautiful, majestic mausoleum was built.
It was quite unusual to erect a mausoleum in honor of the khan’s vizier at that time, during the Soviet era. Everyone can see it as a natural phenomenon now. However, at that time, in the age of socialism, the construction of a mausoleum in honor of the khan’s vizier was a truly extraordinary event. Thanks to Heydar Aliyev’s persistence and courage, Azerbaijan achieved this at that time, and this place was not chosen by chance. The grave of Molla Panah Vagif is here. This mausoleum’s inauguration was, on the one hand, signified respect for the history of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the genius of the Azerbaijani people. On the other hand, the opening of this mausoleum in Shusha once again confirmed that Shusha is an Azerbaijani city.
When the Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region was established, the goal of including Shusha in it was quite clear – to steadily and gradually erase the traces of Azerbaijan here, to Armenianize this territory and to make Azerbaijanis a minority in this part of their republic. That was the goal. During the time of national leader Heydar Aliyev, in 1969-1982, thanks to his efforts and policy, the ethnic composition changed significantly in favor of the Azerbaijani people. Primarily due to the construction of a railway from Yevlakh and Aghdam to Khankandi, the establishment of enterprises in Nagorno-Karabakh and the arrival of specialists from different parts of Azerbaijan. In 1982, Azerbaijanis already made up 25 percent of the Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region’s population. Had Heydar Aliyev stayed in power in Azerbaijan at that time, Azerbaijanis would have constituted a majority in the Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region in the next ten years, and no conflict or separatism would have ever arisen here.
The great leader’s foresight, devotion to his native people, love of our literature and culture were manifested in the construction of this mausoleum. Again, I want to say that khanates were described as anti-national entities in the official Soviet ideology, while khans were presented to the public as enemies. The Soviet Union’s official doctrine was that khanates existing in Azerbaijan allegedly only exploited people. The Azerbaijani people allegedly waited for these khanates to be abolished and Soviet rule to be established instead. Of course, this was nonsense. The Azerbaijani people have lived with the love of freedom and independence for centuries. Unfortunately, the vast majority of our history passed in the colonial format, as we were part of other states. We were forced to do that; it was not our choice.
The national leader did a great deal to keep up the national spirit at a high level in Soviet times. The opening of this mausoleum was a historic event. I remember that day very well. I stood there slightly aside while my father and prominent cultural figures stood here. I remember Azerbaijani and Armenian poets reciting poems. Even Armenian poets recited poems in Azerbaijani. It was a celebration of friendship, a friendly event. No-one could ever imagine that separatism would break out here in a few years. That Armenia would invade Azerbaijan, that our historical city would be taken away from us, that our historical sites, mosques and this mausoleum would be destroyed. They would try to erase the Azerbaijani people’s centuries-old heritage from the Karabakh land. That could not have occurred to anyone. I have said this many times, and I want to repeat – if Heydar Aliyev had not left Baku for Moscow in 1982, if he had not been appointed to Moscow, he would never have allowed any separatism to take place here. But when Heydar Aliyev came to power, Shusha was already under occupation, Kalbajar was under occupation, Lachin was under occupation, Dashalti was under occupation, all surrounding areas were under occupation, and a geographical link was established between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.
The government of the Popular Front and Musavat is to blame for this. They committed this betrayal and then cowardly went into hiding, fled and sold Shusha. They handed over the impregnable fortress of Shusha to the enemy to overthrow the then government of Azerbaijan and come to power. And this is what happened. The loss of Shusha led to the collapse of the then government. The Popular Front took advantage of this and came to power after the loss of Shusha and the surrender of Lachin to the enemy. Everyone remembers this history. It is recent history. The Popular Front-Musavat duo committed treason, betrayal and crime only to come to power. What did they do next? They turned plunder into a state policy in Azerbaijan, declared corruption their ideological principle, and left the mark of betrayal and desertion on the Azerbaijani people’s history. The Popular Front-Musavat traitors humiliated and put our people to disgrace in the eyes of the whole world. After all, who was Armenia to defeat us? Who were they? The anti-national Popular Front-Musavat elements gave Shusha to the enemy, then fled and went into hiding.
After that, Armenian vandals razed all our cities to the ground. While visiting the liberated lands, I see this with my own eyes, and the whole world should see it too. They have destroyed our mosques, graves, historical sites and all our buildings. The contemptible enemy also destroyed this mausoleum. In this part of the mausoleum, there were patterns. Pictures of that are available. All of that has been demolished and looted, and the mausoleum is destroyed.
How hostile they must have been to commit these atrocities. The perpetrators are the Sargsyan-Kocharyan duo. It is the Sargsyan-Kocharyan duo that has brought our cities to this plight. We have crushed the thugs and Khojaly executioners -, those fake heroes. We have annihilated their army. Climbing cliffs, we recaptured Shusha from their army and showed heroism. We have crushed their military by fighting with light weapons and knives against cannons and tanks. Where were they? They fled and hid in Yerevan. One of them ventured to come here but ran away like a rabbit five days later. The other did not speak at all. There is a third one, war criminal Ohanyan, born here on our lands. He allegedly came here to defend Shusha during the war. We chased him away like a dog. He is still hanging around in Armenia. Whenever he opens his mouth, he says ugly words. Everyone saw the fate of those who were trying to annoy us. Let no-one forget this iron fist. We broke the enemy’s back. If necessary, we will break it again. Kocharyan-Sargsyan, the Azerbaijani people’s enemies, you have brought this place to this condition. I came as the Commander-in-Chief of a victorious army, and I stand here. I stand here on my land. There will be no traces of you here again.
Today, some elements calling themselves politicians in Nagorno-Karabakh are trying to raise their heads again. Let them not test our patience and not forget the 44-day war. They claim that they will build an army and take back the lands. Come on! Take it! Come here; you are close. Come and try to take it, and I will see how you do that. We have chased you away like dogs, we have thrown you out, we have sent you to hell.
Vagif Poetry Days will be reestablished. I have already issued the instruction, and they will be held this year. The Khari Bulbul festival will be held this year. We are already starting the reconstruction of Shusha. A master plan is being prepared. All buildings have been inspected. As Azerbaijan’s cultural capital, Shusha will become one of the world’s most beautiful cities as it has always been the case. The loathsome enemy has destroyed all our historical sites. But we will restore them and return their former glory. The people of Azerbaijan will live in Shusha forever. Shusha is ours! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
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As part of the visit to Shusha, President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva also visited the Jidir Duzu.
President Ilham Aliyev said:
– This is the Jidir Duzu plain, dear and native to all of us. One cannot imagine Azerbaijan without Shusha and the latter without the Jidir
Duzu. We have returned to Shusha, we have returned to Jidir Duzu. This historic place will exude the sound of mugham. Azerbaijani songs will be performed here. Significant events, weddings and celebrations will take place here.
Some time ago, the occupying forces committed sordid actions to insult our dignity, to insult the people of Azerbaijan in this place that is sacred to us – the whole world is already aware of this. They danced “Yalli” here. There is no trace of them here. We kicked them out of here. The Jidir Duzu, Shusha and Karabakh are free now. These lands’ real
owners have returned; with arms and flag in their hands and love for the
Motherland in their hearts. Patriotism brought us to Victory. Patriotism has become the main factor in our Victory.
I am delighted that a patriotic and strong young generation raised in the national spirit has grown up in Azerbaijan in recent years. I have been the leader of Azerbaijan for 17 years. Those who grew up over these years have liberated these lands. Our citizens of all generations have made an outstanding contribution to this Victory. However, I must also say that the younger generation performed the main task. Those who were 10 and 15 years old in 2003 are now 27-32 years old. Their patriotic upbringing and hatred of the enemy led us to Victory and restored Azerbaijan’s historical justice. The younger generation, the older generation, experienced people, all our people, all ethnic groups, all religions are united in one fist. This symbol of our Victory was not chosen by chance. I have said this before, but I want to repeat that this fist is both about strength and unity. We already had a sufficiently high level of agreement, and it will be even stronger from now on. United countries get the upper hand. Determined leaders get the upper hand – leaders who do not look up to anyone, not afraid of anyone, and defend national interests. Everyone saw this in the example of Azerbaijan.
We have won, and Armenia has lost. At the same time, we are right. Our cause was one of justice. Armenia’s cause was one of aggression. Justice has prevailed thanks to our strength and resolve, and our policies and unity! Glory to the people of Azerbaijan! Long live Azerbaijan!
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President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva then familiarized themselves with Gazanchi church in Shusha.
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During the occupation, the Armenians started to construct a new building to move the “parliament” of the so-called “Nagorno-Karabakh republic” to Shusha. Shusha was liberated from occupation on November 8, 2020. The construction of the “parliament” building of the so-called regime was left unfinished.
President Ilham Aliyev said:
– They had plans to move the parliament of the self-styled “Nagorno-Karabakh republic” to Shusha. It was yet another attempt to Armenianize the city of Shusha. They had started the construction. They had begun constructing this building as the parliament of the so-called “Nagorno-Karabakh republic”. But they failed to complete it. We, the actual owners of these lands, are back. We kicked them out of here, so their ugly deeds never materialized. The parliament went to hell, and so did the status. Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
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President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva then viewed the destroyed by Armenian vandals building of Shusha Real School.
https://en.president.az/articles/50184
Ilham Aliyev and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited Fuzuli, Zangilan, Lachin and Jabrayil districts
As reported earlier, on February 14, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva visited Fuzuli, Zangilan, Lachin and Jabrayil districts.
President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Fuzuli district to lay the foundation of the Horadiz-Aghband railroad.
This 100-kilometer railroad is of great strategic importance because this transport infrastructure will play an important part in enabling the travel of Azerbaijani citizens to and from the liberated lands and, most importantly, contribute to the establishment of a direct railway connection between the main part of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
The head of state laid the foundation of the Horadiz-Aghband railway.
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President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva then visited the Uchunju Aghali village of Zangilan district.
While driving to Zangilan, President Ilham Aliyev said:
– We have come to Zangilan district. We are heading for Lachin district. There are also scheduled events in Zangilan district along the way. We are in liberated lands again. The process of restoration of our lands has already begun.
This is the city of Zangilan. We have already been here and are visiting again. The city of Zangilan, as indeed other cities, has been destroyed by the enemy almost completely. Only several houses remain. These housed their military unit and police station. Armenians from abroad also lived here illegally. This is what the loathsome enemy has done to Zangilan.
Master plans of all our cities are being prepared. They will be revealed and opened to discussion. After that, restoration work will begin. I raised this flag here last time I visited Zangilan.
The first “smart village” project will be implemented in Zangilan district. The project is being launched today. Preliminary studies have already been conducted. This is the destroyed village of Aghali. This is the first village to be restored.
The President was informed about the “smart village” project to be implemented in the Uchunju Aghali village of Zangilan district.
The project will be implemented in the village has total of five components. These are housing, manufacturing, social services, “smart agriculture” and renewable energy.
President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly stated in his speeches that the liberated territories will become a “green energy” zone. There are plans not only to restore and reconstruct the territories liberated from Armenian occupation on the direct initiative and instructions of the President, but also to implement “smart city” and ‘smart village” concepts. At a time when the world economy is experiencing severe problems due to the pandemic, this initiative by the President of Azerbaijan once again demonstrates the strength and power of the state. The energy needs of the future village of 200 houses will be provided using renewable energy sources.
The head of state gave instructions on the work to be done.
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The head of state, the first lady and their daughter Leyla then left for Lachin district.
Speaking about the liberated villages of Gubadli district along the way, President Ilham Aliyev said:
– This is Khandak village of Gubadli dstrict. Fierce battle unfolded around here as well. Our army liberated these territories by destroying and driving out the enemy. The enemy also resettled here illegally. They lived in dire conditions. Notice that their houses are no better than kennels. This is exactly what I meant when saying that Armenians lived in extreme poverty in the occupied territories. Hunger, misery and lawlessness were pervasive. They used such dilapidated roads. We installed these light poles after we liberated the lands.
Here is Muradkhanli village of Gubadli district. The Armenians lived here and destroyed it. Restoration work is already underway. This is Hakari village. Look at its condition. The Armenians lived in this kennel. These destroyed houses are a product of Armenian fascism. Let the whole world see this. This is their tractor.
This is Bala Soltanli village. Most of the houses here are destroyed, but some houses were illegally occupied by the enemy. This is also a war crime. The enemy has already received its due for all these crimes and will also be held accountable at the international level. Our glorious army crossed into Lachin district through this road and liberated several villages of Lachin district from occupation. In particular, Gulabird village was liberated by our army from the occupiers. This is the southern part of Lachin district. Our army liberated it from the occupiers. The northern part was returned to us after Armenia’s capitulation.
This is Padar village.
Here is Yusifbayli village of Gubadli district. This village was also completely destroyed by the enemy. We are now going to Lachin district, to Gulabird village of Lachin district. We have visited Ikinji Aghali village of Zangilan district and a presentation was made on the development of the village. The reconstruction of Ikinji Aghali village will begin in a few months. This will be the first village to be restored. Ikinji Aghali village will be built based on a “smart village” concept. At the same time, our fellow citizens who will return to Birinji and Uchunju Aghali villages will use the same opportunities.
We are driving into Mardanli village. The sun rises and shines down our path. I said that all restoration work on the liberated lands would be organized at the highest level. We will restore all these destroyed villages. Notice how the despicable enemy has destroyed all our settlements. Vandals and barbarians demolished, looted and stole all the buildings during the occupation. We will restore them all.
We are already in Lachin district. This is the Hakari River. See what a beautiful river it is. Our rivers have been exploited by the enemy. Our nature has also been exploited. We have put an end to that and got rid of the enemy.
We are in Gulabird village. Gulabird village was also destroyed and looted by the enemy. The reason we came to Gulabird village is to inaugurate a hydroelectric power plant built in a short time, and this will be the first power plant project in the liberated lands. Other stations will be built as well. We will use water, solar and wind energy in all liberated lands.
President, Victorious Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev raised Azerbaijan’s flag in the village of Gulabird and delivered remarks.
Remarks by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev
-Today I have come to the liberated lands again. Several events are scheduled here today and the goal is to restore the liberated lands as soon as possible so that people could return and bring back life to these lands. Electricity supply is of special importance in terms of restoration work. To this end, we began to deal with this work immediately after the war, from the very first days. First of all, concrete steps were taken to supply electricity to the city of Shusha, and the first stage of this process has already been completed. “AzerIshig” has already extended power lines to the city. To provide the city of Shusha with uninterrupted electricity and develop the city in the future, the “AzerEnerji” JSC is also building high-voltage power lines to Shusha and building an electrical substation there.
We are in the southern part of Lachin district today, in Gulabird village. A hydroelectric power plant is inaugurated here today. Less than two months after the liberation of Lachin district from occupation, a month and a half later, a hydroelectric power station is being commissioned here. The generating capacity of this hydroelectric power plant is 8 megawatts. Among small hydroelectric power plants, an 8-megawatt plant can be considered a medium-sized one. The key point is that the launch of this station will create generation capacities here and thus, we will effectively use our nature, the Hakari River.
In the Kalbajar-Lachin area, the natural environment for hydroelectric power plants is very favorable. There used to be many stations here before. The loathed enemy benefited from those stations during the occupation. But within 20 days after their capitulation, by 1 December, Armenia destroyed all these hydroelectric power plants, dismantled the equipment and demolished the premises. The enemy has also destroyed the Gulabird hydroelectric power station. Otherwise, this station would have been serving us already from 1 December. But the instructions I gave were implemented swiftly and we are celebrating the opening of the Gulabird hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 8 megawatts today. This is the first power plant being commissioned on the liberated lands. It has great significance and symbolism. We are returning to these lands. We will restore all the hydroelectric power stations in Kalbajar and Lachin districts the Armenians illegally exploited for many years, and eventually destroyed them. In Lachin district alone, the enemy destroyed five hydroelectric power plants. All of them will be restored. Another 12 hydroelectric power plants will be reconstructed in Kalbajar district. Thus, the restored generating capacity of the stations in Kalbajar and Lachin districts alone will amount to 120 megawatts. That is a substantial generating capacity. Thanks to that, we will restore these territories and provide them with uninterrupted energy. If you look at the other projects we have outlined, you can see that renewable energy has huge potential in this region. The “Khudafarin” and “Giz Galasi” hydroelectric power stations will have the largest capacity among them. We have reached an agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran on the construction of these stations. These hydroelectric power plants will be built in the near future, and Azerbaijan’s share of generating capacity stands at 120 megawatts.
In other words, in a few years we will receive 120 megawatts from the Khudafarin and Giz Galasi stations and another 120 megawatts from hydroelectric power plants in Kalbajar and Lachin districts. This means 240 megawatts of generating capacity, and the advantage here is that these are hydroelectric power plants, so the energy production cost is very low. Simultaneously, I have already given instructions to start the process of determining the types of renewable energy and locations across all the liberated lands. Such an instruction has already been issued and the first “smart village” pilot project in Zangilan district will be supplied with renewable energy today.
I stated that the liberated lands would be a green energy zone. I have already invited local and foreign investors. I should also note that the government leads the way and will carry out the main work. By making investments, local and foreign investors will be able to secure their business interests and have their say in the long-term supply of Azerbaijan with sources of uninterrupted, cheap and environmentally friendly energy.
These are our plans. Kalbajar and Lachin districts have a huge potential for wind energy. In Zangilan and Jabrayil districts, there is more potential for solar energy. Initial studies have already been carried out. So by reconstructing our generating capacities and power transmission lines, we will turn Karabakh into a “green energy” zone.
Announcing this program, I had exactly this in mind, and the first project is being commissioned today – the Gulabird hydroelectric power station you see over there.
We have major plans. We have launched the restoration work. We will try to complete mine clearance as soon as possible and assess the damage caused. Simultaneously, infrastructure projects have already started. The foundation of the Horadiz-Zangilan-Aghband railway was laid in Horadiz today. This railway is of great strategic importance. It will be of great importance both for the citizens’ travel to the liberated lands and for cargo transportation. On the other hand, this railway will extend to Nakhchivan. The joint statement signed on 10 November contains a special provision on the creation of the Nakhchivan corridor. This work has already started. I am sure that this project, carried out on our initiative, will be implemented. After a long break, Azerbaijan and its inalienable part of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic will be connected by rail, and thus our strategic, economic and political objectives will be met.
The overall significance of the Patriotic War lies in the fact that we have liberated our lands from occupation; expelled the enemy from our lands and also restored the territorial integrity of the country. We have demonstrated to the whole world the power of our people and the state. We have shown the unwavering spirit of the people. At the same time, having taken practical steps to achieve strategic goals related to the future of our country, we signed important documents. The joint statement signed on 10 November ensured the return of Lachin, Kalbajar and Aghdam districts, of course. We returned these lands without firing a single shot. Moreover, the very statement secures a connection between Azerbaijan and its integral part of Nakhchivan. Also, this railway infrastructure will extend to Turkey, thus creating a second railway network connecting Azerbaijan and Turkey. Three and a half years ago, we put into operation the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. This was also a historic achievement. We connected Azerbaijan and Turkey by rail for the first time in history. And now a second railway will be built and all countries of the region will be able to take advantage of it. They are very interested in the construction of this railway as well. The countries of our region view this project as a positive development.
We said that transport projects play a special role in the long-term development of the region, ensuring stability and reducing to zero the risk of war. All the countries participating in them will only benefit from that. Azerbaijan connects with Nakhchivan and Turkey. At the same time, a railway line from Russia to Armenia may be opened. This line can only pass through the territory of Azerbaijan. In addition, a railway communication will emerge between Russia and Iran through the territory of Nakhchivan. There will be a railway connection between Iran and Armenia. A railway link will be created between Turkey and Russia. In other words, all countries of the region will only benefit from this.
I must also say that thanks to the commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, Russia and Turkey began using it for the transportation of goods. Notice the vision and strong resolve we have shown. I the meantime, we have mobilized financial resources and will support this rail link. Our country needs this because it increases its geopolitical relevance economic prowess. As a reliable transit country, we will also receive substantial financial revenue from this. Besides, it is of great importance for securing peace and stability in the region.
This is also important because revanchist forces are attempting to raise their heads in Armenia as we speak. They are trying to threaten Azerbaijan with more provocations and another war. They must understand that we are monitoring everything, that we keep everything under control and will never allow Armenian fascism to raise its head again. We have destroyed Armenian fascism. We drove out the enemy out of our native lands, kicked them out. It is safe to say that we have annihilated Armenia’s military, it is nonexistent. It has been defeated. There is neither hardware nor manpower left. They have acknowledged that they had 10,000 deserters during the war. There was not a single deserter in the Azerbaijan’s army. This testifies to the high morale of our people and our military. This is a testimony to the present policy. We won Victory on the battlefield. We liberated these lands from the invaders in battles. Having inflicted a defeat on Armenia, we forced it to sign an act of surrender on 10 November and return Lachin, Kalbajar and Aghdam districts. They never wanted to return Lachin and Kalbajar districts to us during the negotiations. That was the primary reason for the lack of progress in the negotiations. Unfortunately, the position of Armenia and some of its foreign patrons consisted of returning five districts to Azerbaijan, so that Azerbaijan would be content with this and Nagorno-Karabakh would someday be granted independence, while Kalbajar and Lachin districts would remain under the eternal control of Armenia. I rejected that proposition.
Life has shown that by demonstrating a strong will and courage, we were able to achieve what we wanted. They didn’t even consider returning Lachin district to us. We had advanced down the path I drove along today, liberating all the districts, villages and cities, we came to these places. We liberated the southern part of Lachin district, the village of Gulabird from the occupiers. The villages of Safiyan and Turklar are located nearby. We also liberated them, creating a military foothold to control the Lachin corridor, which was already under our control. In essence, we conducted our strategic operations advancing from this direction. At the same time, advancing from the opposite side, from Khojavand district to Shusha, and passing through the mountains and gorges, we were able to conduct a successful operation. This southern part of Lachin district was liberated as a result of a military operation. We have defeated the enemy on the battlefield and restored historical justice.
Lachin district was the second to be occupied after Shusha in the 1990s. The occupation of Lachin district had created a geographical link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. There was no such link in Soviet times. Lachin district was occupied 10 days after the occupation of Shusha on 8 May 1992. It was a great tragedy. The loss of each district was tragic – people died, their property was plundered, they were expelled from their homes. At the same time, the occupation of Lachin district was a great defeat for us from a strategic point of view. Lachin district and Shusha were sold by the same people. I have already spoken about this. I want to say this to the Azerbaijani people again so that no-one forgets. The despicable PFPA-Musavat tandem sold these lands to the enemy in order to come to power. At that time, to topple the government, they organized rallies and riots in Baku. They were prepared to commit any act of betrayal and ultimately committed it to come to power. They left Shusha even though there were troops under their command. Shusha was almost abandoned when the Armenians entered it. Nobody defended it. Then Lachin district was sold less than a month after they came to power. The PFPA-Musavat tandem committed this treason, this act of betrayal, this crime. In April 1993, when Kalbajar was under occupation too, they cowardly fled and went into hiding. They deserted. The people of Azerbaijan should never forget that; never forget these traitors and enemies! They sold our lands. We returned these lands and have come back. Here I am standing here in Lachin district as the Commander-in-Chief of the Victorious Army which has liberated these lands from the enemy. I have raised the flag of Azerbaijan here and am addressing the Azerbaijani people from my native Lachin district under this flag. Our Victory is historic. We have restored historical justice. We have restored our rights, avenged our martyrs, and here we are.
Restoration work is under way now and will be continued. I have said that we will turn this region, Karabakh into a paradise. All instructions have already been issued. All work is being done and the progress is systematic. From now on, we will live on these lands forever. Nobody can prevent us from living on these lands. Karabakh is ours! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
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Then President Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of an 8-megawatt Gulabird hydroelectric power station on the Hakari River.
During the occupation, the Armenian invaders destroyed this station, just as they typically did everywhere else. This station, which is being commissioned on the instructions of the President in a short period of time, is of great importance in terms of creating infrastructure and other planned activities in the liberated territories.
President Ilham Aliyev launched the Gulabird hydroelectric power plant.
The commissioning of the Gulabird hydroelectric power plant is a significant event and historic milestone. This is the first infrastructure project launched in the liberated lands with President Ilham Aliyev in attendance. This station will play an important role in providing electricity to nearly 7,000 residents. The electricity generated here will be supplied to Khanlig village of Gubadli district, the southern part of Lachin district and other infrastructure projects located in the area.
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Then the President, the First Lady and their daughter Leyla arrived at the Basitchay State Nature Reserve in Zangilan district.
During the occupation, Armenian invaders committed environmental terror in the Basitchay Reserve, as indeed across all other areas. The hated enemy destroyed almost half of the forest area of the reserve and scorched the roots and firewood. The environmental balance of a natural ecosystem formed here over the years has been gravely undermined due to Armenian vandalism.
President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva planted plane trees in the Basitchay Reserve.
Then the President, the First Lady and their daughter released fish into the Basitchay.
President Ilham Aliyev: We have planted plane trees in the Basitchay State Nature Reserve. The Basitchay Reserve was established under the order of national leader Heydar Aliyev in 1974. Rare plane trees were protected by the state on more than 100 hectares. It was a forest of rare plane trees. After the occupation, the hated enemy cut, chopped, looted and burned most of the plane trees. This is another sign of Armenian vandalism. The restoration of the Basitchay nature reserve has started today.
We will restore this reserve. Of course, the age of the trees felled here was about 200-300 years but at least we have fulfilled our duty.
We also released fish into the Basitchay. The Basitchay is also a beautiful river. In general, this is region with abundant rivers. The Tartarchay, the Khachinchay, the Basitchay, the Bazarchay, the Hakari and other rivers will serve the people of Azerbaijan from now on. During the occupation, the hated enemy cut off the water of the Tartar River and more than a hundred thousand hectares of land in several of our districts were left without water. Environmental terror has been committed against us.
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President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva then left for Soltanli village of Jabrayil district.
President Ilham Aliyev: I have given the instruction to take measures to irrigate 100,000 hectares of land that have not been irrigated yet. Thus, the agricultural sector of six to seven districts will develop faster, productivity will increase, farmers and villagers will make more money. We will restore both homes and nature. At the same time, I have ordered to carry out autumn sowing without wasting time. We have swiftly mobilized all our resources, equipment and manpower, and sowing has been carried out on 7,000 hectares. I will inspect those fields as well. About 20,000-25,000 hectares will be sown this season. So we will revive agriculture without wasting time. Of course, the agricultural potential of the liberated lands is immense. The invaders also used our land to gain illegal income. At least 90,000 hectares of grain were planted during the occupation. That has ended. Crop production, fruit growing and animal husbandry will develop rapidly in the liberated lands.
Arriving at Soltanli village of Jabrayil district, President Ilham Aliyev was informed about the work done on planting in the liberated lands.
It was noted that the monitoring of sown areas was underway. Updated proposals are submitted as additional sown areas are being identified.
https://en.president.az/articles/50632
Ilham Aliyev visited Fuzuli and Khojavand districts
As reported earlier, on March 15, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva visited Fuzuli and Khojavand districts.
President Ilham Aliyev said:
I am revisiting liberated territories. Today I will lay the groundwork for the Fuzuli-Hadrut highway. The construction of this road is of great importance for the restoration of the liberated areas. It is not the first project. Several road projects are already underway. The restoration of liberated lands has begun. The road from Fuzuli to Shusha is under construction – the Victory road is being built. At the same time, the construction of the Barda-Aghdam road will be completed soon. Another road will be built from Horadiz to Zangilan. In short, even though only four months have passed since the war, extensive redevelopment work has begun.
Once again, when we see these ruins in the liberated lands, we realize yet again that the loathsome enemy had destroyed all our settlements and wanted to erase our historical heritage. But they failed. We have returned to these lands. We have returned as a heroic people, as a victorious state. We drove the enemy out of our native lands.
Driving through the liberated lands today, we passed through the village of Garakhanbayli. Garakhanbayli village was liberated on the first day of the war – on September 27. It was from here, from that direction, that we commenced our glorious mission and drove the enemy out of our lands. We are now busy with redevelopment. A new period begins in our lives – a period of creation, development and restoration of our lands.
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As part of the visit, President Ilham Aliyev laid the groundwork for the Fuzuli-Hadrut highway.
This road originates from Victory highway and connects to the new Hadrut-Jabrayil-Shukurbayli highway. The 13-kilometer highway will have four lanes. Bridges will be built along the route.
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President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva left for Khojavand district.
President Ilham Aliyev: We are in the liberated lands again. We are going from Fuzuli to the Khojavand district. We are traveling to the liberated Khojavand district. We are once again witnessing the destruction of all settlements along the road. All villages and cities are completely devastated. This destruction was caused after the war. During the war, the first Karabakh war, there was not and could not be so much destruction. It was during the occupation that the hated enemy brought our cities to this state.
This is the city of Fuzuli. But there are no traces of a city – only ruins. The Armenians have destroyed it. They came and demolished our buildings during the occupation, took away the stones and roofs of the buildings like thieves, like robbers. These are the remains of Fuzuli. Let foreign circles defending Armenia open their eyes to their savagery. Whom are they protecting?
The contemptible enemy occupied our lands for 30 years and did not leave a single stone intact. Notice what roads are like now. These roads have not seen asphalt for 30 years. All their propaganda is false, and so is their history. They called themselves a state. The so-called “Artsakh state” went to hell. If it was a “state”, then why didn’t they leave a single stone intact? Because they knew that this land was not theirs. This land belongs to the Azerbaijanis.
This is the liberated Khojavand district.
We are in Edilli village of Khojavand district. This is Aghbulag village. Azerbaijan’s heroic Army liberated our ancient lands from the occupiers. There were battles here. We fought and drove the enemy out of our native lands.
This is the village of Dudukchu in the former Hadrut district, which was liberated from occupation. Notice how beautiful the landscape is.
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President of Azerbaijan, Victorious Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, raised the state flag in Hadrut settlement and delivered remarks.
Remarks by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev
– Hadrut settlement was liberated on October 9. The liberation of Hadrut was a result of a very successful military operation. First, the surrounding heights were captured. After the heights around Hadrut were captured by Azerbaijan’s Army, we seized control over the town, and the liberation of Hadrut was already imminent. I should also note that the Armenian civilian population living here was evacuated due to a military operation. I can say that throughout the entire 44-day war, the losses among Armenian civilians were relatively insignificant because Azerbaijan’s Army has never waged war against the civilian population. Unlike the Armenians, we fought only against military units during the war, defeated them, and drove them out of our lands. As for the civilian population, according to Armenian statistics, about 40 civilians were killed during the war. The vast majority of them were civilians involved in military operations.
The liberation of Hadrut was a very significant operation. The liberation of Hadrut after Jabrayil district and the city of Jabrayil was a milestone having a crucial impact on the continuation of our military operations.
I should add that the city of Fuzuli was liberated after Hadrut – on October 17. The Armenian Army was expected us elsewhere. However, following the rules of war and proper strategic planning, we liberated Hadrut after Jabrayil and then came Fuzuli.
Let me also note that when Hadrut was already in our hands, the Armenian leadership, officials and, at the same time, some foreign journalists who brought grist to the Armenian mill were claiming that Hadrut was under Armenians’ control. I cannot understand to this day why the Armenian leadership was deceiving its people. We knew for sure that Hadrut was ours. We knew exactly that the Armenian army had been completely crushed here, and the surviving Armenian soldiers cowardly fled into hiding in the mountains. Hadrut was entirely under our control. However, some foreign journalists were saying that Hadrut was allegedly in the hands of Armenians.
After the liberation of Hadrut, we headed for Shusha. It was crucial to liberate Hadrut for the Shusha operation to succeed. Again, we approached Shusha from a direction the enemy was not expecting us. We liberated Shusha from the invaders by crossing mountains, valleys, cliffs, by climbing those cliffs. Therefore, the Hadrut operation will have a special place in the world’s military books.
In general, our glorious 44-day war, our Victory, is studied in the world’s leading universities these days. Military experts, specialists, and even politicians from many countries talked about our war and said that it was a war of the 21st century. Azerbaijan won the war, expelled the enemy from our ancient lands and restored historical justice. Hadrut settlement was considered the center of the Hadrut district of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region. After abolishing the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, Martuni and Hadrut districts of the former autonomous region were merged, and the Khojavand district was established. The ancient historical name of this place, Khojavand, was returned. During the war, more than 50 percent of the Martuni district of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region and 100 percent of the territory of Hadrut district of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region were liberated from the occupiers. Commenting on the war’s outcome, some say that Azerbaijan has liberated seven districts, which is not the case. We have liberated seven districts, Shusha city, Sugovushan settlement of Aghdara district, Talish settlement, former Hadrut district, most of the former Martuni district, thus restoring historical justice. Therefore, Azerbaijan has made historic achievements in restoring its territorial integrity.
We have written a new history of our people, a glorious history of heroism, and great construction work is underway in the liberated lands today. Major infrastructure projects are being implemented. Today, coming from Baku and driving through the destroyed city of Fuzuli, I saw again the havoc wreaked by the Armenian savages. Let the foreign circles defending them and standing behind them today open their eyes and see what Armenian savagery has done to our cities. All our cities have been devastated, all our villages, historical sites, mosques, and cemeteries have been destroyed. Unprecedented vandalism and barbarism have been perpetrated.
We, for our part, have liberated our lands. Armenians from Armenia proper and foreign countries were illegally brought and resettled in this town. But this town is intact; not a single building was destroyed or burned down. These are the tactics of Azerbaijan’s Army, its moral code. What did the Armenians do? They destroyed all our buildings, our mosques. They kept animals in our mosques. They have desecrated our sacred shrines. The houses built by the Azerbaijanis, where the Armenians then lived there illegally – were burned and destroyed. They cut down forests from November 10 to December 1. They destroyed hydroelectric power plants. That is the difference between us. Azerbaijani soldiers have high moral qualities, and the instructions given to soldiers and all servicemen have been fulfilled. I said that we have never fought against civilians, and everyone can see that now. I stated that the Armenian leadership should give us a timetable of when it would leave our lands and that we were ready to stop the war, and we did it.
Today we have returned here as rightful owners of these lands. Azerbaijan’s flag is flying across all the liberated lands today. Today, as the Commander-in-Chief of our Victorious Army, I raised our national flag in Hadrut settlement. This flag will fly here forever. We Azerbaijanis will live in our ancestral lands forever. We will rebuild all the destroyed cities and villages, life will return here, people will return here, and we will again show the world the greatness of our people. Khojavand is ours, Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
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President Ilham Aliyev then laid the groundwork for the Hadrut-Jabrayil-Shukurbayli highway. The four-lane highway is 43 km in length.
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President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva visited the former Hadrut District Party Committee building.
The head of state said:
– This is the building of the former Hadrut District Party Committee. The illegal regime established an administration here. This building was constructed at the expense of Azerbaijan, and we have returned it. Hadrut is ours!
These words are written in the old script: “For the permanent benefit of collective farmlands”. It was written before 1939. In 1939, our alphabet was changed. It is a document of historical essence.
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President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva then viewed the Albanian temple in the Hunarli village.
President Ilham Aliyev said:
– This is an ancient Albanian temple, an Albanian church. It is located in the village of Hunarli. The Armenians wanted to Armenianize this church and wrote inscriptions in Armenian here, but they failed. If this were an Armenian church, would they leave it in such a state? It looks like a stable or as if it were a garbage dump. It is our ancient historical site, a temple of our Udi brothers. They will come here too. Just as the Armenians desecrated our mosques, they have also desecrated this ancient Albanian temple. But we will restore. All these inscriptions are fake – they were written later. They have created a false history for themselves in our ancient lands. But they failed because we exposed them. The fact that this church – the Albanian temple – is in this condition again shows Armenian fraud. If it were an Armenian church, they would have renovated it. Some criticize us for not taking good care of Christian sites. It is Armenians who brought it to this condition.
Let them come and see how Christian sites are protected in different parts of Azerbaijan. They will see this ancient Albanian church renovated after a while. Temples belonging to all religions in Azerbaijan are protected by the state, built by the state, and the whole world knows that. The world should know and see Armenians savagery in our mosques. There were 67 mosques in the liberated lands, only two standing in a semi-demolished state. They used them for various purposes. The Albanian church has also been brought to this condition. They may have kept animals here too, they may have kept metal scrap here, and some of that scrap is still there. Therefore, everyone should see and know this. Anyone who chooses to make any groundless accusations against us will get a befitting response, as always.
Look here, if it were an Armenian church, would they have written this? Would they have written this – Kamo, Artur, what else Marta? Would they have desecrated their churches like that? All these stones are fake. It is an Armenian forgery. Inside too, come on in here. If it were an Armenian church, would they have written this – “Igor”, “Asha”? They destroyed it, ruined it and even burned the door.
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President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva then arrived in Tugh village.
President Ilham Aliyev: We have arrived in Tugh village. Tugh is an ancient Azerbaijani village.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Is this the school building?
President Ilham Aliyev: A school in Tugh village destroyed by Armenians. Notice what condition it is in. And yet, they say that Tugh is an Armenian village. If it were an Armenian village, would they have destroyed it? It is the land of ancient Azerbaijan. Tugh village has always been and will continue to be an Azerbaijani village.
Here are the Azerbaijanis’ houses destroyed by Armenians in Tugh village. All the ruins are visible from here.
Of course, the residents of Tugh village will recognize their homes. I am sure that the residents of Tugh will return to their native village soon. Notice how beautiful Azerbaijan is. Notice how beautiful Karabakh is. We will restore all the destroyed villages and cities.
The head of state and his wife visited the Albanian temple in Tugh.
President Ilham Aliyev: This is yet another Armenian falsification. These stones were brought here later. They have nothing to do with the temple.
Here is an ancient Albanian temple. This temple will also be returned to our Udi brothers. Armenians wanted to Armenianize it as well, but they did not and will not succeed. After that, Azerbaijan as a state will protect this Albanian temple.
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President Ilham Aliyev, First lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva then headed to Azykh village.
The head of state: We are leaving Tugh village and are now heading for Azykh village. Azykh is also an ancient Azerbaijani village, an ancient settlement. The nature of these places is also beautiful.
We are approaching Azykh village. What a spectacular view of Karabakh. This is the territory of Azykh village.
We are going to the Azykh Cave. There is still a long way to go.
We are at the entrance to the Azykh Cave. We climbed about 800 steps. It was a good exercise and showed our fitness. We will now enter the Azykh Cave. Azerbaijani archeologist Mammadali Huseynov discovered this cave in 1960. Exploration was conducted here after that. It is one of the ancient human settlements in the world, belongs to the history of Azerbaijan. It is our historical asset. Armenia illegally carried out work in this cave, illegally brought scientists here from abroad. They have inflicted extensive damage on this cave and our historical heritage. They will compensate us fully for all this damage. We will make them.
An Azerbaijani scientist discovered the Azykh Cave. The Azykh Cave is located in the territory of Azerbaijan. From now on, it will be Azerbaijani scientists and foreign ones invited by them who will undertake exploration here legally.
What a gorgeous view! Azykh village is over there. You can take a few good shots from here. We have reached this summit. We will conquer all the heights. There is no pinnacle beyond our reach. Let’s say together: “Azykh is Azerbaijan!”, “Karabakh is Azerbaijan!”
https://en.president.az/articles/50893
Ilham Aliyev visited city of Shusha
As reported earlier, on March 16, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva visited the city of Shusha.
President Ilham Aliyev said:
– We left Azykh and came to Shusha yesterday. The roads are still in a poor condition, almost non-existent. We came here along the Victory road. For the time being it is unpaved because the weather is cold and it is impossible to lay asphalt. It was muddy and there was a heavy fog. That is why we made it from Azykh to Shusha in 1 hour and 45 minutes. We stayed in Shusha overnight. We left at 9 a.m. and are going to attend several events. The weather is clear, but there are still clouds above the city.
We last came here in January. We returned the busts of Natavan, Uzeyir Hajibayli and Bulbul to Shusha. It is a great pleasure to return to Shusha today. On the left, there are snowy and foggy mountains of Shusha.
Restoration of Vagif’s mausoleum will begin soon. The former appearance of the mausoleum will be restored. Restoration work will begin today.
Relevant instructions have already been given to restore the mosques. Preliminary studies have begun and the project will be presented in the near future.
Shusha is beautiful in every season.
We will also restore the springs. For 30 years, Armenians dried up all our springs. Notice what the city is like now, what the enemy has done to Shusha.
We are approaching Vagif’s mausoleum. Work has already begun. I have viewed the project. Here are the photos. National leader Heydar Aliyev attended both the opening and Vagif Poetry Day. We are restoring history. This project will be implemented by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation at its own expense, with the taste typical of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and under the supervision of Mehriban khanum.
President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva visited the museum complex of Mollah Panah Vagif in Shusha.
Assistant to the President Anar Alakbarov briefed the President and the First Lady on the project to restore the complex. This project will be implemented by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. During the project, special attention will be paid to the restoration of the mausoleum. When the Armenians occupied Shusha in 1992, they also violently destroyed this monument.
President Ilham Aliyev: I have found these photos in the archive. Vagif Poetry Days were held in the summer of 1982. National leader Heydar Aliyev is in front of the mausoleum in the summer of 1982. People also took part in this event here. Last time I was here, I noticed this place and asked to find pictures of what happened here in the archives, and this picture has been found. You see, Vagif’s image was on this wall. The hated enemy dismantled it and the marble. This was a tombstone. Armenian vandals demolished it too. We will restore it. I found a few more photos of the National leader visiting Shusha at the time, and I am also there. This picture was taken on Jidir Duzu. I showed it once, in front of the Natavan spring. There is another picture here and I have to show it too. There was also a bust of Vagif here. Last time I was in Shusha, I showed that the Armenians had dismantled the bust and built a shop. Here it is. The bust of Vagif and the National leader looking at it. We will restore this bust as well.
The President, the First Lady and Leyla Aliyeva then reviewed the remains of Panahali khan’s palace. This building is located in the historical center of Shusha and was the residency of Panahali khan, the founder of the Karabakh khanate. Armenian vandals also destroyed this historic building during the occupation.
President Ilham Aliyev: This was the palace of Panahali khan. Panahali khan, who built and established Shusha, built a palace for himself here. Notice what the Armenians have done to this palace. It was a historical site. The despicable enemy came here, seized our lands, expelled our people, destroyed our historical sites, demolished, vandalized and barbarized everything around them.
Let all international organizations come and see this. Let the circles defending and supporting the Armenians, those who always support them, come and see what these savages have done.
The liberated lands are a witness to Armenian atrocities. There has never been such an atrocity in the history of the world. They came here, lived on someone else’s land and then took the opportunity to drive out the locals, kill them, burn them and commit genocide. Then they also took advantage of the hospitality of the people who embraced them, accepted them, allowed them to live here. And this is how they repaid for the hospitality – brought our historical sites to this condition. Savagery! That is exactly what I mean when I say that a savage tribe had passed through these places.
Then President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva arrived at the future site of Molla Panah Vagif’s bust.
The project to restore the bust of Mollah Panah Vagif will also be implemented by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
President Ilham Aliyev: This is the pedestal of the bust. The Armenians have destroyed it but we will restore it.
During the occupation, Armenian vandals also destroyed the 19th century Caravanserai historical and architectural complex located in the central square of Shusha.
President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva visited the Caravanserai historical and architectural complex.
The head of state was informed about the work to be done here.
One of the buildings subjected to Armenian savagery is the building of the Shusha State Art Gallery.
The gallery was established in 1982 and operated until the occupation in 1992.
President Ilham Aliyev: This was an art gallery of Shusha. The Azerbaijani government organized a gallery here. During the occupation, the enemy used it for its own needs. It will now be completely rebuilt and operate as an art gallery again.
President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva then viewed the repairs to be carried out at the “Garabagh” Hotel. The hotel was built in the early 1980s. The building has fallen into disrepair due to neglect. Thanks to the work to be done here, the hotel will be brought up to a modern level and all amenities will be created for the comfort of visitors to Shusha.
The President and the First Lady were informed about the work done to restore historical and religious sites in Shusha.
President Ilham Aliyev: The rooms of the hotel will be like this. During the occupation, the hotel was almost destroyed and only one floor was used. It was in a deplorable state. Now it has been quickly prepared as a show room. All rooms of the hotel will be in this style.
We have got acquainted with the ongoing reconstruction work at the Karabakh Hotel. During the occupation, the hotel practically did not operate. Only one or two floors did. This hotel was also built during the Soviet era at the expense of Azerbaijan and was named Garabagh. Then the contemptible enemy changed the name of the hotel to “Shushi palace”. There is no city called Shushi, it has never been and never will be the case.
President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva also visited the Shusha Carpet Museum. This museum, established to study and preserve the traditions of Karabakh carpet weaving, was also severely damaged during the occupation.
The President, the First Lady and Leyla Aliyeva also viewed the building where the Park Hotel will be located in Shusha. After the reconstruction, the hotel will accommodate guests, offering modern-level service.
President Ilham Aliyev: This was a former sanatorium building. During the occupation, it was used as a small hotel, but in a very primitive way. The conditions were pretty embarrassing. It is now being restored. This is also a show room; the rooms of the hotel will be like this. The hotel will be commissioned this year.
Special Representative of the President in Shusha Aydin Karimov reported to the President on the projects to be implemented.
President Ilham Aliyev gave instructions on the work to be done in Shusha.
President Ilham Aliyev: We have also visited the Shusha sanatorium. Many buildings there were destroyed by Armenians. But it will be possible to use some buildings. There are also plans to create small hotels here. We must take into account that there will be a huge influx of tourists to Shusha, so there should be five-, four- and three-star hotels here.
This is a beautiful view of the city and the mountains around it. But we see again that the Armenians did not build a single building here. They may have built this one, an ugly looking edifice. However, they used the buildings built by Azerbaijan in Soviet times and settled in the houses of Azerbaijanis. All these houses are Soviet-era houses, Khrushchev-era houses. They have long used up their service life. We now need to pay attention to the condition of these buildings.
About 2,000 people lived in Shusha during the occupation, most of them servicemen and their families. Therefore, most of these buildings are empty. Look, is there a single decent building around?
The Armenians try to present Shusha as an Armenian city. However, it was Panahali khan who laid the foundation of Shusha and Azerbaijanis have always lived here. If it was an Armenian city, why didn’t they look after it? It is barbaric to bring a city with the landscape and nature of Shusha to this condition. They have destroyed the homes of Azerbaijanis and believed that this occupation would last forever. We have put an end to the occupation.
I have said that Shusha will become not only one of the most gorgeous cities in Azerbaijan, but also in the world, and we will achieve this – 100 percent. This is the ruined building of the Realniy School. Notice what the Armenians have done to it. According to my information, there was a boarding school on the left. It is also demolished, only a part of the facade remains.
We are departing Shusha, but we do not want to leave again. Shusha attracts people so much that those who come here do not want to leave. But we must return to Baku. We will stop on the way at Dashalti village. We will also look at the village. Then we will head for Baku.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: The weather is sunny and clear, the sky is blue.
President Ilham Aliyev: We are saying “so long” to Shusha. The Azerbaijani flag is waving at the entrance to Shusha and will fly high forever. Down below is the Lachin corridor. The weather favors us again. The sun shines down our path. This is the building of the Shusha substation. This building was constructed in a short time and will provide Shusha with sustainable energy. Last time we came to Shusha in January, the air was clear and the sun greeted us as we approached Shusha.
The rocks of Shusha look beautiful from here as well. We are on the path of truth and ours is the cause of truth. Nature also greets us because this is Azerbaijan’s nature.
This is Dashalti village. We will also get acquainted with Dashalti village.
President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva arrived at Dashalti village of Shusha district.
Aydin Karimov: This is the Great Kirs Mountain. One of Shusha’s water sources comes from its foothills.
First Lady: Is this considered New Dashalti?
Aydin Karimov: Yes.
First Lady: And that is Old Dashalti.
President Ilham Aliyev: Our servicemen came from there.
This is a beautiful view of Dashalti village both on the right and on the left. Dashalti village was also liberated from the occupiers. Our victorious army rose from Dashalti, crossed the steep cliffs and entered Shusha. Ahead of us is Great Kirs Mountain. The beautiful nature of Azerbaijan is right before us. Whichever way you look, there is beauty and greenery. This is the land of Azerbaijan, the land of Karabakh. From now on, the people of Azerbaijan will live here forever.
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The village of Dashalti, occupied by Armenian invaders in 1992 was also subjected to all-round terror. President Ilham Aliyev gave instructions on restoring the village.
https://en.president.az/articles/50901
Ilham Aliyev visited Jabrayil and Zangilan districts
As reported earlier, on 26 April President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva visited Jabrayil and Zangilan districts.
The head of state, the First Lady and their daughter viewed the billboard with “Welcome to Jabrayil” words on it at the entrance to Jabrayil district.
President Ilham Aliyev: We have come to Jabrayil district. We have now restored the billboard that was once erected at the entrance to Jabrayil district – in the same shape and design. We have restored the “Welcome to Jabrayil!” billboard. In Soviet times, this monument – so to speak – was erected here but it was left rusting during the years of occupation. There are images of this rusty billboard in the press. Therefore, restoring historical justice, we have restored this “Welcome!” sign at the entrance to Jabrayil district. We will restore all liberated lands, all cities and villages.
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President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva attended the opening of a military unit of the State Border Service in Jabrayil district.
Chief of the State Border Service, Colonel-General Elchin Guliyev reported to President of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev.
Elchin Guliyev said: Welcome, Mr. President!
President Ilham Aliyev: Hello.
Elchin Guliyev: Mr. President, the memorial stone is inscribed on the occasion of your arrival in the liberated territories.
I report that our construction and repair work continues in the liberated territories based on your instructions. There was this building in the area from earlier times, Mr. President. To implement your instructions, a military unit has been established on an area of 5,339 square meters. The current situation is as you can see it.
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The military arsenal of the State Border Service is being further enriched with modern weapons, including new unmanned aerial vehicles.
Informing the President, Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev about the UAVs, Elchin Guliyev said: Dear Mr. President, during the war, thanks to the use of these aerial vehicles footage has become available. On the right side here we see elimination of the TOR system.
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, I remember that, it was in the garage.
Elchin Guliyev: Yes, Mr. President. There are many videos of elimination of enemy’s missile systems, S-300 systems, SCUD missile systems here. When they planned to counterattack in the direction of Horadiz village, 14 of their tanks were destroyed by the Harops within two hours. This footage shows the destruction of those tanks. About 10-12 tanks were abandoned by the fleeing enemy.
President Ilham Aliyev: They admit that themselves.
Elchin Guliyev: Yes, Mr. President. This is the moment when S-300 was struck. Harop’s accuracy is 97 percent, Mr. President.
President Ilham Aliyev: It was at the top of the mountain.
Elchin Guliyev: Mount Shukrataz, Mr. President. Azerbaijan’s border guards are currently stationed at the highest point.
The head of state was informed that the new military unit had all the conditions to provide top service. During the 44-day Patriotic war, Azerbaijan’s Army carried out a critical important mission, liberating the lands from occupation and restoring the state border. As part of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, the personnel of the State Border Service delivered crushing blows to the enemy with high professionalism and drove it out of our lands.
Then President Ilham Aliyev got acquainted with the new military vehicles and drove one of them.
Elchin Guliyev: Mr. President, this is another manifestation of your care. These vehicles have been purchased recently and made available to our mobile units on your instructions. Dear Mr. President, on your special orders, the fastest offensive of the 44-day Patriotic war began in this area.
The head of state visited the gym of the military unit.
President Ilham Aliyev: Film this and this one. This is just a warm-up. I am showing this so that the staff knows what I am capable of at the age of 59. Come and film this.
Athletes would know I cheated a little here. But at the age of 59, you have to do a little cheating when you lift 40 kilograms.
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After viewing conditions created at the military unit, President Ilham Aliyev met with servicemen of the State Border Service and delivered remarks.
Remarks by the President Ilham Aliyev
At ease! Dear border guards, it is a significant day in the life of our country today. A new military unit of the State Border Service is being opened on Azerbaijan-Iran border. I am attending this opening, and this is another manifestation of the importance we attach to the activities of the Border Service.
During the Patriotic war, the Azerbaijan-Iran border was completely secured. The 132-kilometer previously occupied border was fully restored. All the necessary fortification and defensive work began along the border immediately after the war. The launch of this military unit is clear evidence of that. Necessary work is done along the entire border – both the Azerbaijan-Iran and Azerbaijan-Armenia borders.
The Azerbaijan-Iran border is one of friendship. The defense of this border is also of great importance for the development of Azerbaijan-Iran relations. We have a border with the Islamic Republic of Iran in other directions, and this border is, in the true sense of the word, is the border of friendship and cooperation. Citizens of both countries benefit from this by crossing the border. At the same time, the growing volume of cargo indicates the development of Azerbaijan-Iran relations.
The nearby Khudafarin Bridge is a symbol of Azerbaijan-Iran friendship. The Khudafarin Bridge was liberated from the enemy on Independence Day – on 18 October last year. Border guards have played a special role in liberating this territory from the enemy. Our liberation struggle began in this direction, and after 44 days of the Patriotic war, it resulted in the victory of our Army, of the Armed Forces. There were fierce battles in this area; ferocious fights unfolded for every village. We had martyrs. May Allah rest the souls of all our martyrs in peace. Their dear memory will live in our hearts forever. Despite the losses, we were moving forward every day. During the 44-day war, we never took a step back. Every single day for 44 days was a day of victory for us. Despite all the efforts of Armenia for 44 days, they were unable to conduct a single successful operation. They planned a counter-offensive in this direction and began to carry it out. But it was the beginning of their end because that counter-offensive operation was completely crushed by Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces, the enemy suffered heavy losses and dozens of enemy equipment were destroyed. We paved the way liberation by breaching many lines of defense in this direction – from the Fuzuli-Jabrayil direction.
Today, Azerbaijan’s victorious Armed Forces are fulfilling all the tasks. At the same time, our border guards currently guard Azerbaijan-Armenia border on the liberated territories. This border has also been restored and all necessary infrastructure work is under way along the border. All equipment has been mobilized. The length of this border is about 500 kilometers. That border for almost 30 years was in the hands of the occupying forces. We won the Patriotic war, fully restored that border, liberated Zangilan and Gubadli districts and a part of Lachin district by fighting. The enemy was forced to return most of Lachin and Kalbajar to us by signing an act of capitulation. Necessary work is underway in those territories.
Unfortunately, the revengeful forces in Armenia have raised their head yet again. They are accusing us and making territorial claims. I want to warn them from here to stop these ugly deeds, or they will face a bitter end. We showed who was who during the patriotic war. An iron fist crushed the enemy’s head. The recent military provocation against our border guards in the direction of Zangilan on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border should be the last such attempt. We showed restraint and did not respond to this provocation. But this is the last warning. If a similar attempt is made again, the enemy will be destroyed on the spot. We are protecting our border and will continue to do so. The border of each country is one of its state symbols. Azerbaijan has fully restored its borders and territorial integrity. Our Armed Forces won the war through courage and heroism. The role of border guards in our overall victory is immense. I appreciate it. It is no coincidence that many servicemen have been awarded high orders and medals of our state.
I once again congratulate you on the opening of this military unit and wish you renewed success.
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The head of state posed for photographs together with the border guards.
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President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva arrived at Aghali village of Zangilan district.
Minister of Agriculture Inam Karimov: Mr. President, after you were informed in February, active work began and mobilization was carried out. Preliminary demolition work has been carried out.
President Ilham Aliyev: What was here before?
Inam Karimov: There were houses here. There were about 30 houses. Rural roads are already under construction. This work is also underway in the village. There are currently about 110 people working here. There will be about 600-700 workers during the active stage of work.
President Ilham Aliyev: Is a part of the village on the other side of the road?
Inam Karimov: Yes, a part of it used to be in the upper area.
President Ilham Aliyev: Was this the main part?
Inam Karimov: Yes, this was the main part. This is Aghali 1.
Reconstruction of the villages destroyed due to the Armenian occupation has begun on the basis of a construction concept and the latest technologies.
Minister of Agriculture Inam Karimov informed the President and the First Lady that the first “smart village” pilot project covers the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Aghali villages of Zangilan district. The project will be implemented mainly on five components. These are residential, production, social services, “smart agriculture” and alternative energy. Initially, there are plans to build 200 individual houses in the area using fully insulated and innovative construction materials. In-house engineering communication and heating systems will also be built based on smart technologies. Modern schools, kindergartens, outpatient clinics and e-government centers will be built in these villages and tourism infrastructure created. All residential houses, social facilities, office and public catering buildings, processing and agricultural enterprises will be provided with alternative energy sources. Specialists from Turkish, Chinese, Italian and Israeli companies will also be involved with the project.
The head of state spoke to representatives of foreign companies in a video format.
President Ilham Aliyev: Hello.
Employee of a Turkish company: Hello, Mr. President.
Minister of Agriculture Inam Karimov: Please, Onay bey.
President Ilham Aliyev: Please tell us what this facility is.
Employee of a Turkish company: Greetings from Turkey to dear Azerbaijan, “one nation, two states”, Mr. President.
Employee of a Turkish company: Greetings from Turkey to dear Azerbaijan, Mr. President!
President Ilham Aliyev: Hello!
Employee of a Turkish company: Thank you. Mr. President, we honor the memory of all the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for reunification with these lands.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you!
Employee of a Turkish company: Mr. President, as a result of a comprehensive analysis in this “smart village” project, we have determined that the most suitable, environmentally friendly and affordable renewable energy device in the world is the Archimedes system. At the same time, the carbon dioxide-certified Archimedes plant will meet all the domestic electricity needs of the smart village and the remaining energy could be exported. Also, we will transfer hot water from the system to houses and hotels in the village. This device is very fast and works with high productivity. It does not make any noise and oxygenates the water, which is very useful for fish and vegetation. This system will enable us to get more energy with less power than solar and other alternative energy, i.e. it works 24 hours a day. This project is not only aimed at generating energy, but also creates conditions for the tourism infrastructure. Mr. President, of course, with your support, we plan to create the “smart village” project that can meet all its needs at its own expense. Thank you.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. I am very glad that a Turkish company is involved in the first project. This is natural because Turkey, a brotherly country, will take an active part in all our restoration work. As you know, several Turkish companies are already involved in restoration and infrastructure projects. I am glad to see the activities of a Turkish company here – in the field of green energy. In fact, this is the first village built on liberated lands. Of course, this village is very important because the “Great Return” begins today. I want to express my confidence that you will participate in future projects.
Employee of a Turkish company: Inshallah, Mr. President.
President Ilham Aliyev: I wish you further success.
Employee of a Turkish company: Thank you, Mr. President!
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General Manager of Huawei Azerbaijan: Dear Mr. President Aliyev. My name is David, general manager of Huawei, Azerbaijan. It’s a great honor for me to have this chance to present to you our “smart village” solution, which we are going to use to reconstruct the liberated area of Karabakh. Before that I want to express my respect and congratulations to Mr. President about this great liberation victory. As a world-wide leading ICT solutions company we are ready to provide all our latest advanced solution in Karabakh and participate in future “smart village” development. As a leading “smart city” and “smart village” solution provider our company has a lot of experience in this area. And globally, we already have more than 100 different pieces. In order to provide the advanced solution in Karabakh “smart village” we will provide the latest product and solution. We will build the first gigabit village network by AirPON solution in Azerbaijan. The AirPON solution is in front of Mr. President. The solution can shorten 10 km to 1 km fiber cable deployments. So we can mostly accelerate the network construction and save a lot of costs. We will realize secure living environment, “smart education system”, “smart healthcare system” and “smart agriculture” in Karabakh as the first stage of “smart village” construction. This is my brief report. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
President Ilham Aliyev; Thank you, I wish you success. This is the first project for the country in Karabakh region and I am glad that Huawei which is a good partner of Azerbaijan is participating in this project. I remember when I was during one of my visits to China, I visited your headquarters in Beijing and there was given a presentation to me about your activity. Also I had direct contacts with your Baku office. I know that Baku office is very successful, and there will be a lot of activities in the liberated territories, because it’s one village. We have hundreds of villages and cities which have been destroyed by Armenian aggressors. So, we now need to restore them. To restore that based on the modern standards, standards of living. So I wish you success. I hope you will have another opportunity to work in other parts of liberated territories.
General Manager: Thank you Mr. President we will do our best. Thank you.
Minister of Agriculture Inam Karimov: This device will provide up to 100 megabits of wireless internet. Also, once the telephone antenna is installed, the village can be provided with internet.
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President Ilham Aliyev: Good morning.
Employee of an Italian company: How are you Mr. President, good morning.
President Ilham Aliyev: Very good thank you. How is your project moving? Today we launched it. So, we will have to have a good result after we finish the construction. What is the time-table for the project to be operational?
Employee of an Italian company: They wanted the project in November. Still, it’s pretty early, November with the housing inside. But we can do this. As fast as we need. We have the ability and co-partners to construct and do everything in this time.
President Ilham Aliyev: Very good. So it could be, of course, November, December. I know that it’s not easy to plan, to organize and to implement, because we need to build village, settlement of more than 200 houses with the entire infrastructure. Of course, people who will come here to live they need to have jobs and production. I see the pictures here, looking very good: the famous mozzarella.
Employee of an Italian company: Thank you. We have a combined model also for housing and farming together. So, you can house the people very fast in the farm and to work in the farm. Before housing they need a village.
President Ilham Aliyev: Very good, thank you.
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Employee of Israeli company: Can I make my presentation?
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes.
Employee of an Israeli company: First of all, I’m feeling honored to stand here in front of you and to meet you thank you for the opportunity. I want to congratulate you for the liberation of the occupied territories in Karabakh region. So we are really glad to be your partners in the new district of Zangilan, to build a buffalo farm. First, we will have 300-400 cattle here and then we want to expand it to 1000. Our company is dealing with the technology and smart farms. We have sensors that connect the farm to data analysis software, which has to do with feeding, cattle health and milking obviously. We are doing it as a turnkey project. We are providing he feasibility study, construction, planning, training of the team and import of the cattle. We are doing the smart farm obviously, with the sensors as I said the team will monitor the animals via sensors. We are doing manure treatment. We know how to treat the manure and to make it fertilizers or bio gas, as you want. There are different options. Waste water cleaning and the solar energy, this means that you have lots of energy production without putting a huge infrastructure of electricity. So, a farm like this will be very interesting. We want to bring to Azerbaijan and Karabakh area the knowledge and experiences of the Israelis in farming technology. So, thank you for the opportunity and we are looking forward to cooperating with you.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, I know that the cows in Israel produce the best quality and the highest volume of milk per cow.
Employee of an Israeli company: Yes, in Israel there are farms which produce 40-45 liters per cow.
President Ilham Aliyev: I know.
Employee of an Israeli company: We will try to do our best in buffalo sector also.
President Ilham Aliyev: What is the average per buffalo?
Employee of an Israeli company: The average per buffalo is roughly one third of the production per cow – between 8 to 12 liters per head, per day.
President Ilham Aliyev: I see, and buffalos will be imported from Israel.
Inam Karimov: From Italy.
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Project manager: Mr. President, first of all, congratulations for your historical achievement of liberation of your territory and for restoring your sovereignty. This will be an era of stability and prosperity in an important strategic area. I am really honored to be here representing an Italian company. My name is Giuseppe Rizzoli and I am the Project Manager of the Buffalo Dairy project. Our business idea is to realize a full equipped buffalo dairy farm for high-quality production of mozzarella, burrata and other buffalo cheeses in strategic Zangilan region providing our expertise in production process and our knowledge. Because, as you know, Mr. President a buffalo mozzarella is produced all over the world any country try to reach the same quality and taste. But “mozzarella di bufala” remains an Italian export only, because we think that most important factor of success in the field is not only the technology and machinery that we have but it’s the hands of the cheese maker masters. Anyone can buy an expensive equipment and machinery but only the skilled cheese makers can make the unique taste of mozzarella. For this reason, after building our dairy, we will provide a complete training course that will form the first generation of skilled Azerbaijani cheese makers. We want to avoid that Azerbaijan becomes an exporter of a simple quality buffalo cheese production. Our mindset is to aim for developing top quality dairy sector that can make Azerbaijan as producer of excellent “mozzarella di bufala” like in Italy. No compromise in that field – only the first class production and we will do our best with our friends in Azerbaijan. Thank you Mr. President, and thank you for the opportunity.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much. This is a first pilot project on the liberated territories. Therefore, you can understand we pay special attention to it and the successful implementation of this project will of course demonstrate our strong will to revive the territories and to restore them as soon as possible. As I said many times, after war and after our victory that we will invite companies from friendly countries to work with us. I am glad that today companies from Israel and Italy, from two friendly countries for Azerbaijan are joining this important project and we have international cooperation. We have companies from Turkey, China, Israel and Italy – all friendly countries. This is really a good international cooperation. I am sure it’s only the first step. Ssuccessful implementation of this project, of course, will allow us to use this experience in other destinations in Karabakh, because we need to restore hundreds of villages, settlements and cities. So, I hope to see you, maybe, in Baku at the opening of these villages and also to demonstrate and taste the real Italian mozzarella.
Employee of Israeli company: It’s a hard challenge but we will be glad, we will do it. Mr. President, we are ready.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much.
Employee of Israeli company: Thank you very much, Mr. President. Have a nice day.
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The head of state then met with residents of Zangilan district.
President Ilham Aliyev: Hello, please come closer, come closer.
Female resident: Welcome to Aghali village!
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much!
Female resident: This is our village. I was born in Aghali village, in this village, and grew up here. My father, mother, husband, uncles and aunts were buried in this cemetery. My husband’s grave is next to that visible tree, he died while working.
President Ilham Aliyev: Where was your house? Which side?
Female resident: Our house was down there.
President Ilham Aliyev: In Boyuk Aghali.
Female resident: When you drove down here for the first time, you said that this house would probably be recognized by someone. It is my sister’s house. Thank you very much. I am very glad to see you, your wife and daughter here. I embrace and kiss you all.
President Ilham Aliyev: I congratulate you on returning to Aghali.
Female resident: Thank you, I also wish you good health and a long life for bringing us to our homes and giving us the opportunity to see our land. You have liberated our lands. You have avenged our martyrs along with our lands. We have wounded veterans. May Allah grant healing to our veterans and rest the souls of our martyrs in peace. I bow my head before their mothers. I bow my head to you for bringing them together as Commander-in-Chief and winning the 44-day war that is unparalleled in the world. In the first Karabakh war, my cousin and my son-in-law fought in the war for five years and eight months. My grandson is a wounded veteran who volunteered for the 44-day war. May Allah grant you good health and a long life. The people of Aghali are ready to come here. We are all together. Everyone, including children and adults, says we are going to Aghali to build and create there. The people of Aghali are hardworking. I have lived in the city for 28 years.
President Ilham Aliyev: Where do you live now? In Baku?
Female resident: Yes, I live in Bilajari.
President Ilham Aliyev: In a dormitory in Bilajari?
Female resident: No, we live in a house we built. We are ready to come to our land. I have a dream. I hope there comes a day when this project is completed and the people of Agali gather in this village. Because our people are hardworking – we will restore it. May I ask you – when you come to the village the second time, please come to my house and have a cup of tea.
President Ilham Aliyev: Agreed. I promise. I will definitely come. I will come to the opening, and I hope the village will be rebuilt soon. As you know, Aghali is the first village to be restored.
Female resident: It used to be a well-to-do village, with a collective farm. I want to recite a verse. Resident recites the poem.
President Ilham Aliyev: This village will be a model one.
Female resident: Yes, thank you very much. I am very glad to see you here. My dear ones, I embrace you all and kiss you.
President Ilham Aliyev: When did you leave Aghali?
Female resident: I left it in 1993. Whenever you raise your fist, I raise it with you. I am raising it again and say: Karabakh is ours! Aghali is ours! Zangilan is ours! Our youth is behind you. Long live Karabakh! Long live Azerbaijan!
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. Aghali village was liberated from the occupiers on 28 October. You know that fierce battles were fought for Zangilan, for all our villages. We returned this land by shedding blood.
Female resident: Yes, my grandson also took part in the fighting here.
President Ilham Aliyev: We drove out the enemies. When I first came here and saw the ruins when drove by, I wondered whose this house was. Only a part of the house remained standing.
Female resident: Yes, it does, I saw that.
President Ilham Aliyev: They lived here illegally. I said that the people of Aghali would probably recognize whose house it was.
Female resident: Yes, I listened to that.
President Ilham Aliyev: Now you are probably familiar with the new project. More than 200 houses, a school, a kindergarten, an outpatient clinic will be built here and jobs will be created. The presentation given to me today shows that a large farm – a buffalo farm – will be created here as well, cheese will be produced, there will be arable land, there will be a hydroelectric power plant. In other words, all the conditions will be available. You will have everything you need to live here. The technologies to be applied here are not yet available in Azerbaijan. This is the first project, a pilot project, and I am sure that all the work will be ready by the beginning of next year. Houses must be built, communications must be built, then jobs must be created, there must be arable land, and everyone who will live here must be provided with jobs. I also see young people here. They were probably born after or before the war.
Female resident: Children were displaced at the age of one year and seven months.
President Ilham Aliyev: How old are you?
Young man: Dear Mr. President, I am very pleased to see you in our village. I am one of the last babies to have been born in Zangilan. I was seven months old when I left here as an IDP. Today, for the first time in 28 years, we are stepping into our ancestral land, and it is gratifying that we are doing that together with you, Mr. President.
Mr. President, we have always supported your policy. We have always watched your speeches, and in 2018, a statement in your speech at the military parade dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces caught our attention. You said that Karabakh has always belonged to Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijani flag flying in Shusha will be brought to Azadlig Square for demonstration soon.
President Ilham Aliyev: Indeed.
Young man: Mr. President, we witnessed that in 2020 in that magnificent Victory Parade. Mr. President, in general, we, the youth of Zangilan, are always with our state, the nation and the Commander-in-Chief. In general, Zangilan is a district of great geographical and strategic importance. Zangilan is our gateway to Nakhchivan. Zangilan is the entrance to our historical land of Zangazur. Zangilan is located at the crossroads of many roads. In general, Zangilan has great potential for agricultural development. Zangilan has fertile lands, abundant water and fresh air. There are all conditions for agricultural activity in Zangilan.
President Ilham Aliyev: He has not seen Zangilan, but notice how much he loves Zangilan. This is the love of the Motherland. This is patriotism.
Female resident: Zangilan is our childhood fairy tale.
Young man: Mr. President, by the way, the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture visited all our houses. They conducted surveys with us, determined the age group of the population and identified the areas of people’s activity. Let me assure you that that every resident of Zangilan who took part in the survey said that they want to return to Zangilan. I am sure of that and I assure you because this is our native land. My grandfather worked here for many years as chairman of a collective farm, Mr. President. My father was a mason. He built about 30 houses in this Aghali village with his own hands. Unfortunately, as a result of Armenian savagery, there are no traces of those houses now. However, we are not sad at all. On the contrary, we are glad that the “smart village” project is being launched today and we are even more delighted that this project starts in our village. Thank you twice for this, Mr. President. Always be there for us.
Mr. President, we always got together in October in a very humble and sad manner to mark the day of the occupation of Zangilan. But starting from this year, we will celebrate Victory Day in October. I am sure that you will join us in the festivities in the village of Aghali. Mr. President, thank you very much.
President Ilham Aliyev: Absolutely! From now on, October will only be a month of holidays for the people of Zangilan because both Aghali village and Zangilan city were liberated in October. Listening to the words of this young man, we see again how strong the will of the Azerbaijani people and their commitment to their homeland are. The Armenians hoped that our people would forget these places, the old people would forget this and then the old people would naturally pass away, while young people, those who grew up in different environment would never want to return here. That was their big mistake because we have brought up a young generation with a strong love of the homeland in their hearts. Even the youngsters who have not seen these places lived with a desire to return to their native land and restore justice, and now we are seeing that. The village of Aghali will be rebuilt in less than a year. You have probably seen the models and the project – it will become one of the most progressive villages in the world.
Male resident: Thank you for that, Mr. President, thank you very much.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. Did you live here as well?
Male resident: Yes, we now live in Sumgayit.
Female resident: My grandson was born in Baku. However, after completing his military service, he quickly came here. He called us from a village in Fuzuli and asked us not to worry about him because he was not on the frontline. But he was actually in Shusha. I mean that even though the child was not born here, this air, this land and the fairy tales we told him brought him back here. Thank Allah, he is safe and sound, and may Allah grant healing to our veterans. Mehriban khanim, thanks to you our wounded veterans are receiving treatment abroad and you are helping them.
President Ilham Aliyev: Zangilan is a very pleasant place, a beautiful place with mountains, rivers and forests.
Male resident: Mr. President, we are very grateful to you for valuing our village. May Allah protect you.
Female resident: Mehriban khanim may, Allah grant you good health. There was that baby who needed money for treatment. You took care of her as a mother, thank you very much for that.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Thank you very much.
Male resident: These are the words that come from our hearts.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.
Female resident: We have always stood behind you.
President Ilham Aliyev: Let’s lay the foundation stone together now. The Great Return begins today.
Male resident: Inshallah.
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President Ilham Aliyev then laid a foundation stone for the first “Smart village” project covering the 1st, 2nd, 3rd Aghali villages of Zangilan district.
President Ilham Aliyev: “The foundation stone of the “smart village” project in Aghali village was laid by President Ilham Aliyev. Karabakh is Azerbaijan!” This is what the capsule says.
Male resident: Let everyone make a contribution.
President Ilham Aliyev: Of course, this is history. Men come forward.
Female resident: Good luck!
President Ilham Aliyev: A monument will be erected here as well.
Male resident: Mr. President, the residents who did not come here also asked us to thank you. Thank you very much for giving such value to our village.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you and please convey my greetings on to them. We will come here again when the village is ready.
Female resident: Do come over!
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: I also want to put some concrete in.
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, of course. I forgot about you. Leyla, do come as well.
Female resident: Thank you for giving us this excitement. I am 70 years old but I feel as if I were 15. You have rejuvenated us so much.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Pigeons will fly off now. Take a picture.
Male resident: Mr. President, I was born in this village but have never been here.
President Ilham Aliyev: With the grace of Allah, we will meet again early next year. We will meet with all the residents of Aghali.
Then a picture was taken.
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President Ilham Aliyev then laid a foundation stone for the International Airport in Zangilan.
Undoubtedly, this airport will play an important role in the development of the region.
President Ilham Aliyev said:
-We have broken ground for the Zangilan International Airport. An international airport will be built in Zangilan soon. The runway of this airport will be three kilometers long. The airport will be able to receive all types of aircraft, including heavy cargo planes.
The construction of a second airport has begun on the liberated lands. The construction of the Fuzuli International Airport is already progressing. The runway of Fuzuli Airport will be put into operation this year. So we will be able to receive the first planes in Fuzuli this year.
The geographical location of Zangilan district and the opportunities available here, of course, create opportunities for turning Zangilan into an international transportation and logistics hub. It is no coincidence that the airport will be built in Zangilan because if you look at the geographical situation, everyone can see that the three international airports to be built in Fuzuli, Zangilan and then in Lachin districts will cover the whole of Karabakh and the eastern Zangazur zone, including Zangilan. A railway and a highway will pass through here and a road to Nakhchivan will be opened. Of course, this airport will play an important role in the future successful socioeconomic development of Zangilan.
The first village project was already launched in Zangilan today. The foundation stone of Aghali village was laid. This is the first step in the Great Return. We are already starting this work a few months after the war. Infrastructure work is underway. The reconstruction of Aghali village, the first “smart village” project, has started. Aghali village, in fact, three villages – Aghali 1, 2 and 3 – were liberated on 28 October. Six months later, the foundation stone of a new village was laid in Aghali, and it will be a model village. The technologies to be applied in this village meet the most modern standards. Houses, public buildings and social facilities will be built. Jobs and arable lands have been identified. The nature and natural resources of Zangilan as a whole will allow us the opportunity to turn this district into one of the most advanced regions of Azerbaijan.
The Great Return has begun. The airport I laid the foundation stone of today shows the strength of our state. The foundation of the new Horadiz-Zangilan highway will also be laid ahead. This 4-6-lane road runs parallel to the existing road and ushers ample opportunities. These projects are very important for linking Zangilan with other districts of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. I congratulate Zangilan residents and the people of Azerbaijan on this occasion.
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President Ilham Aliyev then laid a foundation stone for Zangilan-Horadiz highway.
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President Ilham Aliyev: The nature of Zangilan district is beautiful – green mountains, lush forests and rivers. It resembles a paradise. We will turn Zangilan into a paradise. The more you look at it, the more you want to do that. There is vegetation on all sides. Beautiful nature. Look at the beautiful river.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: What river is this?
President Ilham Aliyev: It must be the Okhchu River. The Okhchuchay River, the Basitchay River. We will find that out. It is appears that a substation is under construction here. There is a police station. The nature is pristine around here. There are spectacular views. The main thing is to protect this nature during the restoration of cities and villages. There must be very strict control so that our nature is not harmed. Although the Armenians also abused our nature; they have destroyed 54,000 hectares of forests. They cut down trees and sold them. But we will restore all the forests.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Are these plane trees?
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, plane trees. And this is the Basitchay River. It is a part of the beautiful nature of Zangilan. The Basitchay and an ancient plane tree. The beautiful nature of beautiful Azerbaijan. We have returned these lands and taken them back from the enemy. After that, the people of Azerbaijan will live in these lands forever. Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
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President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva arrived at Zangilan mosque to be restored by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
Architect: Welcome, Mr. President.
President Ilham Aliyev: Hello. Please provide an update – is work being done?
Architect: Based on the instructions by the President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva, a commission made of both foreign and local experts, has assessed the current state of the mosque building. I would also like to note that representatives of the well-known Atelier Kummer have been here on a short-term mission and assessed the existing building. We are currently preparing proposals for the conservation and restoration of the existing building, as well as proposals and a project on the construction of a new mosque in the area.
President Ilham Aliyev: Anew? What does the assessment say? The stones are fairly sound.
Architect: We would suggest building a new mosque on a larger area. The total area here is about 50 hundredths, Mr. President. We suggest that this old building remain within the mosque-complex after conservation.
President Ilham Aliyev: Have a look, maybe if these stones and walls are so sound, they might be covered. This could be done as well. Once the proposals are ready, we can decide.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: It was a small mosque, so it should probably be small.
President Ilham Aliyev: It was a small and one-level mosque, and the dome was not that big.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: There was no minaret.
Architect: In 1988, during the Soviet era, an evaluation was done of the building.
President Ilham Aliyev: Is there a photo? Or it could not be found?
Architect: There are layouts.
President Ilham Aliyev: Are there layouts from that time?
Architect: Yes, from 1988.
President Ilham Aliyev: This is what it was like. In fact, they knocked down one of its walls and the roof. The top wall is there.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Are these proposals?
Architect: These are preliminary proposals.
President Ilham Aliyev: It is built of this stone.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: From the same stone, the inside was like that. Do the proposals suggest keeping it within the old walls?
Architect: Yes, we suggest creating a complex.
President Ilham Aliyev: It remains within the walls.
Architect: This was an additional building. It was built later, during the Soviet era, in the 1930s.
President Ilham Aliyev: Was the main building there?
Architect: Yes, there was a school here, and then they used that building for economic purposes.
President Ilham Aliyev: It is necessary to restore it the way it was.
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President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva attached a memorial plaque with the words “The foundation of the Zangilan Mosque was laid by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev on 26 April 2021” on the wall of the mosque.
President Ilham Aliyev said:
– The Zangilan mosque will be restored. This mosque was destroyed by the contemptible enemy. When I visited Zangilan after the war, I came here, got acquainted with the situation and said that everyone should see it. All international organizations should see this. They should see Armenian savagery. I want to say again that those who support the Armenians today should come and see what they have done to our mosques, not only this mosque. In all the liberated lands, our historical, cultural and religious heritage has been destroyed, desecrated and demolished by the Armenians.
Some semi-destroyed mosques in Zangilan district were used as pigsties, they kept pigs there. There are videos of that. Pigs were kept in the Aghdam mosque, which is a crime against the entire Muslim world, a crime against Islam. All Muslim countries should see this, and we are bringing this truth to the attention of the leaders of all Muslim countries. Foreign visitors to the liberated lands are seeing Armenian savagery with their own eyes. The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation who recently visited Azerbaijan raised his voice in protest. The ICESCO Secretary General visited the liberated lands, saw the destroyed Aghdam mosque and is already informing all Muslim countries about Armenian atrocities. We must also be active in this work. All government agencies have been instructed. Public organizations have been asked to provide information on Armenian atrocities to all international organizations – with facts, evidence and pictures.
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President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva then left for Minjivan settlement of Zangilan district.
President Ilham Aliyev: We are going to Minjivan settlement. Minjivan is an ancient settlement.
There was a railway station there. After the first Karabakh war, the Armenians demolished the entire railway. They sold some of the rails and built anti-tank fortifications using the rest. We will now build the railway again. This work has begun. Some time ago, I laid the foundation stone of the Horadiz-Aghband railway in Horadiz settlement. This railway will connect the main part of Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through the Zangazur corridor. In fact, Zangilan district is geographically located in the East Zangazur district, and we will connect East Zangazur with West Zangazur and open a railway to Nakhchivan, as well as a highway.
There is also a beautiful nature here – high mountains and forests. Here, too, fierce battles took place. We drove the enemy all the way to the border. We gave martyrs. We liberated Aghband settlement, which is located near the Armenian border, and reached the immediate border with Armenia. Now we are strengthening our positions on this border, where there is also a border checkpoint. We have restored all our borders.
The head of state arrived at the site of the Minjivan railway station, which was destroyed by the Armenian occupiers.
President Ilham Aliyev said:
– This was the Minjivan railway station. The hated enemy has destroyed this building, dismantled the railway track, took the rails away, sold them, melted them and used them to build anti-tank fortifications. This building is another victim of Armenian fascism, yet another witness. Armenians have destroyed all our buildings – public buildings, houses, mosques and museums. They have demolished them; looted and stolen stones to build houses for themselves.
We have driven them out of here. There was ferocious fighting around here. There were fierce battles for Minjivan settlement. Our Armed Forces showed great heroism here, drove the enemy out of here and liberated the town of Minjivan. After that, we successfully advanced to the Armenia’s border, to the settlement of Aghband and drove the enemy out of our lands. The railway will be rebuilt now, and so will the station. The process of reconstruction of the railway has begun. A railway will be built from Horadiz to Aghband. After that, the railway will be extended through the Zangazur corridor to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Zangilan belongs to the East Zangazur region from a geographical point of view and is located in East Zangazur. West Zangazur is also our historical land, and the Zangazur corridor will pass through that land. Thus, the main part of Azerbaijan will be connected with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic by rail.
https://en.president.az/articles/51295
Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva are on visit to Shusha 110/35/10 kV substation launched in Shusha
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva are on a visit to Shusha.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva first attended the inauguration of 110/35/10 kV Shusha substation.
https://en.president.az/articles/51462
Ilham Aliyev inaugurated “Khari Bulbul” hotel after renovation
The inauguration of the newly renovated “Khari Bulbul” hotel has been held in Shusha.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva attended the ceremony.
The head of state viewed conditions created at the hotel.
There are 49 rooms in the hotel. All of them are provided with all necessary infrastructure for visitors to stay and relax.
https://en.president.az/articles/51467
Ilham Aliyev viewed conditions created at block and cottages under “Khari Bulbul” hotel
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva have viewed conditions created at a 48-apartment block and the cottages under the “Khari Bulbul” hotel in Shusha.
The head of state and the First Lady were informed of the work done at the block and the cottages.
https://en.president.az/articles/51468
Ilham Aliyev viewed administrative building for Special Representative’s Office in Shusha
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva have viewed the administrative building for the Special Representative’s Office in Shusha.
The head of state and the First Lady were informed of the restoration work carried out here.
The head of state gave instructions on the work to be done.
https://en.president.az/articles/51474
Ilham Aliyev laid foundation stone for new mosque in Shusha
A foundation stone for a new mosque has been laid in Shusha.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva have attended the event.
Laying the foundation for the mosque, President Ilham Aliyev said:
– We laid the foundation for a new mosque in Shusha today. A new mosque will be built here. I made the decision to build a mosque a long time ago. After the liberation of Shusha from the occupiers, I began to think about the architecture of this mosque. We need to take into account the fact that there used to be 17 mosques in Shusha and the hated enemy destroyed all of them. Three mosques were in a run-down state – the Yukhari and Ashaghi Govharagha and the Saatli mosques. The instruction has been issued to repair them.
The Yukhari Govharagha mosque has already been repaired. The architecture of Shusha has its own characteristics and all of the mosques built in Shusha at one time were built in the same style. This is why I was thinking about the architecture of the new mosque. I thought about it for almost a few months. Finally, an idea came to my mind that this mosque and its architecture should be symbolic. Therefore, I suggested that the shape of the mosque reflect figure “8” because we liberated Shusha from the occupiers on 8 November, and 8 November is officially Victory Day in Azerbaijan. The two minarets of the mosque should reflect figure “11” because it was in the eleventh month that Shusha and Karabakh were completely liberated from occupation. Based on these ideas, architects began to work, and the presentation demonstrated here reflects the future appearance of the mosque. This is an initial version. Some work will still be done on it and some changes may be made.
Of course, proposals for the interior design of the mosque are not yet ready. However, conceptually, the architecture of the mosque will reflect 8 November. It will be possible to see figure “8” both from above and from the ground. The location of the mosque was not chosen by chance either. This is the upper part of the city of Shusha, and the mosque to be built here will tower over the city. And this should be the case because Shusha is our ancient city, the city of Azerbaijan built by Azerbaijanis. Azerbaijanis have always lived here. The Azerbaijani population was simply deported from here by force during the occupation.
We have returned to Shusha and we have returned forever! A building towering over the city should be the building of a mosque, and this building should be located in the upper part of the city. The day on which the foundation of the mosque is being laid was not chosen by chance either. Tomorrow, the entire Muslim world will celebrate the sacred holiday of Ramadan. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the people of Azerbaijan on this blessed holiday of Ramadan. The groundbreaking ceremony of a new mosque in the ancient city of Shusha on the eve of the holiday has a great historical and symbolic meaning. As of today, the architects will deal with the entire mosque project and construction work will begin.
https://en.president.az/articles/51463
Ilham Aliyev inspected Khan gizi Natavan’s palace
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva have inspected the palace of Khan gizi Natavan in Shusha.
The house of Khan gizi Natavan in Shusha was also destroyed during the occupation.
The head of state was informed that an assessment of the damage caused to the building during the occupation had already begun. After this process, the restoration work will be launched here.
https://en.president.az/articles/51469
Ilham Aliyev visited the restored “Khan gizi” spring in Shusha
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva have visited the “Khan gizi” spring in Shusha.
The head of state and family members drank from the spring water.
President Ilham Aliyev said:
– Water runs again from the Natavan spring. We have restored the “Khan gizi Natavan” spring. When I last visited Shusha in January, I said that we would restore the Natavan spring. The spring will be at the disposal of Shusha residents and visitors again. The contemptible enemy had dried up this and all other springs. This shows that Shusha has always been an alien city to Armenians. But now Shusha is reviving and the “Khan gizi” spring, one of the symbols of Shusha, has been restored. I drank water from this spring today.
https://en.president.az/articles/51464
Ilham Aliyev viewed building for Shusha Creative Center
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Fırst Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva have viewed the building for Shusha Creative Center.
President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva were informed of the work to be done in the center.
The head of state gave instructions on the work to be carried out.
https://en.president.az/articles/51470
Ilham Aliyev viewed work done at Shusha Art Gallery
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva have viewed the work done at Shusha Art Gallery.
President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva were informed of the restoration wairk at the gallery.
The gallery will feature an exhibition of returned Karabakh carpets, as well as exhibitions themed – “Karabakh before and after the occupation” and “Karabakh on the motives of Azerbaijani artists.”
https://en.president.az/articles/51473
Ilham Aliyev lays foundation stone for school No1 in Shusha
A groundbreaking ceremony for a school No1 has been held in Shusha.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva have attended the event.
The head of state laid the foundation stone for the school.
President Ilham Aliyev was informed that the foundation of the first secular school in Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus was laid here in 1830. In 1980, on the initiative of great leader Heydar Aliyev, the 150th anniversary of this school was marked. Armenian vandals have completely destroyed the school which functioned as school No1 prior to the occupation.
https://en.president.az/articles/51471
Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva attended opening of “Kharibulbul” Festival in Shusha
Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan is hosting the “Kharibulbul” Music Festival. After 29 years, Shusha, the cradle of ancient culture, welcomes its natives and guests again.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva attended the “Kharibulbul” Festival organized on Jidir Duzu plain in Shusha.
The head of state delivered opening remarks at the festival.
Remarks by the President Ilham Aliyev
– Dear friends, it is a significant day in the history of our country today. After a long break, the “Kharibulbul” festival is being held in the Jidir Duzu plain in Shusha, a city sacred to each of us. I cordially congratulate you and all the people of Azerbaijan on this occasion.
We have been looking forward to this day for 30 years. We have lived with a longing for the Motherland for 30 years. We had to reconcile with this injustice for 30 years, but we did not put up with it. We were always saying that we would never come to terms with this situation and that we would liberate our native lands from the occupiers at any cost, and we did exactly that. The “Kharibulbul” Music Festival, held this year for the first time after a long break, is dedicated to the memory of our martyrs. We are indebted to our heroic soldiers. We are indebted to the people of Azerbaijan. Our people united and showed solidarity, or people united like a fist, and this victory was won by the people of Azerbaijan. This is a victory for all of us. I would request that we commemorate our heroic martyrs of the Patriotic War with a minute of silence.
May Allah rest the souls of all our martyrs in peace!
We have restored this remarkable tradition, and “Kharibulbul” festival will now be held in Shusha every year. This year’s festival hosts representatives of the peoples living in Azerbaijan. Representatives of different nations living in our country will perform in this festival. I gave this recommendation to the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the organizer of the festival, because all the peoples living in Azerbaijan have contributed a great deal to the Patriotic War. The Patriotic War has once again shown that all peoples in Azerbaijan live in friendship, brotherhood and solidarity, and this 44-day war showed again that there is national unity and national solidarity in our country. It is no coincidence that the first festival will feature representatives of the peoples living in Azerbaijan. So we are sending another message to the whole world from here, from Shusha, from our ancient land. Countries should develop in this way. In multi-religious and multi-ethnic countries and societies there is development, unity, national solidarity and peace. We follow what is happening in different parts of the world, and I can say that we could foresee the present-day situation a few years ago. Therefore, we promoted multiculturalism and coexistence of different peoples both domestically and internationally, including through numerous events held in our country. We were saying that this was possible. We were saying in the example of Azerbaijan that it was possible, we were showing that, we shared our experience, we shared our views, and I think that our efforts have paid off because the world has a clearer picture of this issue now.
The 44-day war resulted in a total victory for Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan won a total victory, expelled the invaders from ancient Azerbaijani lands and raised Azerbaijan’s flag in all liberated lands. The 44-day war is our glorious history. Every day of the 44 days represents a heroic saga. Every day we gave martyrs, shed blood and yet we moved forward. Every day we moved forward. There was not a single day in the 44 days on which we would take a step back. We only moved forward, giving martyrs and shedding blood. Our people have united, and that unity conditioned this Victory. More than 300 towns and villages were liberated from the invaders on the battlefield, and the liberation of Shusha, the impregnable fortress, is a separate heroic saga. Everyone visiting Shusha and Azerbaijani citizens who have already come to Shusha can confirm that liberating it from occupation required great heroism, courage and self-sacrifice. Our heroic soldiers climbed these steep rocks and liberated Shusha from the invaders in a hand-to-hand battle although the occupiers fired at us from tanks and artillery. We gave martyrs in the battles for Shusha. But the national spirit that drove us forward secured this victory. The liberation of Shusha actually meant the downfall of the Armenian army and the Armenian state. Because a day later, Armenia was forced to sign an act of capitulation, which was drafted based on our conditions, and we returned Lachin, Kalbajar and Aghdam districts without a single shot fired. It is no coincidence that the day of the liberation of Shusha, 8 November, was declared an official public holiday in Azerbaijan, it was declared Victory Day, and we will celebrate this holiday every year.
Shusha is a national treasure of the Azerbaijani people. The recent declaration of Shusha as the cultural capital of Azerbaijan shows this again. Shusha is an ancient Azerbaijani city. Next year we will celebrate the 270th anniversary of Shusha. Panahali Khan founded Shusha in 1752, and from that time until the occupation, Azerbaijanis always lived in this city. Hard as the Armenians tried, they could not erase the Azerbaijani spirit from Shusha. Yes, the loathsome enemy destroyed our buildings, our mosques, our historical monuments. However, Shusha was able to preserve its Azerbaijani spirit. Shusha was in captivity for 28 and a half years, but it did not bend, did not break, preserved its dignity, protected its national spirit, protected the spirit of Azerbaijan.
Dear friends, I am sure that many of you are here for the first time since the liberation. You can see and feel that. This is my third time in Shusha, and every time I come here I say that I want to stay. I do not want to leave here. Shusha has a unique aura. I have never seen a city like Shusha elsewhere in the world. There probably isn’t one. We are gathered in free Shusha after a long break today. Azerbaijani mugham will be performed on the Jidir Duzu plain today. After a long break, we will celebrate this wonderful music holiday in Shusha. It is a music holiday in the true sense of the word. Yes, we did return to Shusha on 8 November by fighting and shedding blood, but Azerbaijani culture, prominent representatives of Azerbaijani culture have returned to Shusha today, and this return is a reality, and everyone must reckon with this reality.
From now on, we will live in Shusha forever. The restoration of Shusha has already begun. The instructions are being fulfilled. The Yukhari Govharagha mosque has already been repaired and holiday prayers will be held there tomorrow.
It is no coincidence that the festival has been organized on the eve of Ramadan. We are a nation bound by our religious, national and spiritual roots. Otherwise, we would never have been able to end the occupation. For all these years, we have lived with one goal – to liberate our lands, restore justice, protect our national dignity, and we have achieved this. Today’s event shows again that we have returned to Shusha and will live here forever. Restoration work has begun in the city and, as I already said, the Yukhari Govharagha mosque has been repaired. Five years ago, after the liberation of Jojug Marjanli, I had a mosque similar to the Shusha mosque built there. I said at the opening of the mosque back then that one day we would restore mosques in Shusha, we would build new mosques. Today, on the eve of Ramadan, the foundation of a new magnificent mosque was laid in Shusha. The “Khan gizi Natavan” spring, which was once dried up by the Armenians, now abounds in water. All this has a great symbolic meaning. This is our return. We will build and restore Shusha, while the contemptible enemy has destroyed Shusha. Those here, our friends will walk around and see the devastation Shusha has sustained. But let me say again that we kept Shusha, Aghdam, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Zangilan, Gubadli, Lachin, Kalbajar in our hearts. We will restore the destroyed mosques, but we had built those mosques in our hearts during the occupation. And we are gathered here now, on the Jidir Duzu plain, a place sacred to every Azerbaijani, and celebrate this holiday of music, unity, return and dignity. Long live Shusha! Long live Karabakh! Long live Azerbaijan!
XXX
The “Kharibulbul” festival then began.
President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva listened to the performances of festival participants.
https://en.president.az/articles/51465
Ilham Aliyev visited Yukhari Govharagha mosque in Shusha
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva have visited Yukhari Govharagha mosque in Shusha.
The head of state and the First Lady were informed of the work done at the mosque.
https://en.president.az/articles/51477
“Kharybulbul” Music Festival wrapped up with a gala concert in Jidir Duzu plain, Shusha
The “Kharybulbul” Music Festival, held on the initiative of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation on Jidir Duzu plain of the country’s cultural capital Shusha, has wrapped up with a gala concert.
President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva listened to the performances of festival participants.
The gala concert featured performances by the People’s Artists Rauf Abdullayev, Yalchin Adigozalov, Meritorious Artist Fuad Ibrahimov and the Uzeyir Hajibayli Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Murtuza Bulbul, the Azerbaijan State Choir Capella under the artistic direction of People’s Artist Gulbaji Imanova. Also featuring in the concert were works by Uzeyir Hajibayli, Fikrat Amirov, Gara Garayev, Alakbar Taghiyev, Muslim Magomayev, Niyazi, Tofig Guliyev, Vasif Adigozalov and other composers.
The audience also acclaimed the performances by People’s Artists Alim Gasimov, Azerin, Dinara Aliyeva, Elchin Azizov, Alikhan Samadov, Farhad Badalbayli, Mansum Ibrahimov, Murad Adigozalzade, Natig Shirinov, Polad Bulbuloglu, Samir Jafarov, Teyyub Aslanov, Yusif Eyvazov, Meritorious Artists Fargana Gasimova, Miralam Miralamov, Sahib Pashazade, Shahriyar Imanov, Shirzad Fataliyev and others.
The concert featured the screening of a video clip showing the national leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev’s speaking of the occupied territories: “I want to go to Shusha together with you. We will go there, believe me, we will. Shusha is the pupil of the eye for Azerbaijan, a source of pride for every Azerbaijani. Shusha is a symbol of our culture and history. Shusha is dear to everyone. But it is not Shusha alone – the mountains of Lachin are also very dear. We can never live without Lachin. Beautiful cities like Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan, Gubadli, the springs of Kalbajar, that hot water spring of Kalbajar. We cannot live without them.” Also, the video featured the statement of the victorious Commander-in-Chief, President Ilham Aliyev, he had made during an address to the nation on the day of Shusha’s liberation – 8 November 2020. “I am happy to have fulfilled my father’s will. We have liberated Shusha! This is a great victory! The souls of our martyrs and of the Great Leader rejoice today! May you rejoice, Azerbaijan! May you rejoice, Azerbaijanis of the world! Dear Shusha, you are free! Dear Shusha, we are back! Dear Shusha, we will revive you! Shusha is ours! Karabakh is ours! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!”
The “Kharibulbul” Music Festival, held for the first time after the liberation of our lands by Azerbaijan’s Army under the victorious Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, ended with a collective performance of the song “Azerbaijan” by artists.
After the concert, President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva met with the performers participating in the festival. Everyone chanted, “Karabakh is Azerbaijan!” on the Jidir Duzu plain.
x x x
On 12 May, on the first day of the “Kharybulbul” Music Festival, the musical compositions of different peoples living in Azerbaijan were featured in the concert themed – “Multiculturalism in Azerbaijani music.” With their performances, music groups and performers of different nationalities living in different regions of the country conveyed the message to the whole world that everyone, regardless of nationality or religion, has a single homeland. Speaking at the opening of the festival, President Ilham Aliyev said: “All peoples in Azerbaijan live in an atmosphere of friendship, brotherhood and solidarity, and this 44-day war has once again shown that there is national unity and solidarity in our country. It is no coincidence that the first festival features representatives of the peoples living in Azerbaijan. So we are sending another message to the whole world from here, from Shusha, from our ancient land.”
At the end of the 44-day war, Azerbaijan’s heroic Army under the President and victorious Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev succeeded in liberating our lands occupied by Armenia and restore the country’s territorial integrity. At present, large-scale construction projects are being implemented in the liberated territories. These projects include the restoration of liberated territories, administrative facilities, historical and cultural monuments, and the reinstatement of cultural events and traditions that have not been held in Azerbaijani historical lands for years. So the lands liberated from the occupation are also reviving spiritually. The “Kharybulbul” Music Festival held on the Jidir Duzu plain on 12-13 May is a vivid testimony to that.
https://en.president.az/articles/51478
Ilham Aliyev has attended a groundbreaking ceremony of Barda-Aghdam highway
As part of his visit to Aghdam, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended a groundbreaking ceremony of Barda-Aghdam highway.
https://en.president.az/articles/51766
Ilham Aliyev has attended a tree-planting ceremony in Aghdam city forest park
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended a tree-planting ceremony in Aghdam city forest park.
https://en.president.az/articles/51767
Ilham Aliyev has attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the first residential building to be built in the city of Aghdam
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the first residential building to be built in the city of Aghdam.
https://en.president.az/articles/51768
Ilham Aliyev attended groundbreaking ceremony for Aghdam Industry Park
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Aghdam Industry Park.
https://en.president.az/articles/51769
Ilham Aliyev visited palace complex where Panahali khan’s Palace located
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has visited the palace complex where the Palace of Panahali khan, the founder of the Karabakh khanate, is located.
https://en.president.az/articles/51775
Victory Museum and Open Air Occupation Museum to be built in Aghdam
A Victory Museum and an Open Air Museum of Occupation will be built in Aghdam.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was informed of the new museums.
https://en.president.az/articles/51782
Ilham Aliyev laid foundation stone for new building of Aghdam city school No1
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has laid a foundation stone for a new building of Aghdam city school No1.
https://en.president.az/articles/51776
Ilham Aliyev attended ceremony to lay foundation stone for restoration of Aghdam city, met with members of general public
The master plan of the city of Aghdam has been submitted to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
The head of state first met with members of Aghdam general public.
President Ilham Aliyev made a speech at the meeting.
The head of state then attended a ceremony to lay the foundation stone for the restoration of the city of Aghdam and planted a tree.
Speech of President Ilham Aliyev
– Dear friends,
It is the Republic Day today. First of all, I would like to cordially congratulate you and the entire Azerbaijani people on the Republic Day. I wish the people of Azerbaijan happiness and prosperity.
Before we start the meeting, I would request that we honor the blessed memory of our brave martyrs who gave their lives for the Motherland in the second and first Karabakh wars with a minute of silence.
May Allah grant peace to the souls of all our martyrs.
Residents: Amen. May Allah rest their souls in peace.
President Ilham Aliyev: We are celebrating the Republic Day in Aghdam, the city of Aghdam. This is very symbolic. The master plan of the city of Aghdam will be approved today. It has been submitted to me. We have been working on this plan for some time, and I would like prominent people from Aghdam district to get acquainted with it and express their opinion, so that we can hold this wonderful ceremony with your participation today.
We could have chosen a different time for this ceremony, for this meeting. But I thought that the most correct date would be our national holiday – the Republic Day, the Independence Day. the fact that we are here today shows again how strong our independence is. If we had not built a strong independent state, we would not have been able to liberate our historical lands from the occupiers. Only a strong Azerbaijan, an independent Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan pursuing an independent policy in the true sense of the word fulfilled this historic mission with dignity. The restoration of the city of Aghdam begins today, on the Republic Day. I am sure that all our plans will be implemented on the basis of the Master Plan and the city of Aghdam will be rebuilt.
During the occupation, I visited Aghdam district nine times. As you know, the city was under occupation, so we chose the village of Guzanli as the district center. I have been to Guzanli and other villages many times. Numerous events have been held in relation to this area. As a result of the implementation of state programs on the socioeconomic development of the regions, plans for the development of Aghdam district were approved. Numerous social projects, projects on the construction of schools, a mugham center, a children’s hospital, a central district hospital, an Olympic center and infrastructure projects have been implemented here. I can say that performance indicators here are higher than elsewhere in the country. Gas supply is almost at the level of 100 percent, there is electricity and water supply, more than 150 artesian wells have been drilled because the loathsome enemy deprived this region even of water. In other words, during the occupation we took serious steps related to the development of the part of Aghdam district that was under our control. During repeated meetings with the IDPs from Aghdam, I have said that after our lands are liberated, even better conditions would be created in the city of Aghdam and the entire district. The master plan of the city of Aghdam, which will be disclosed to you today, is evidence of my words. We will create a city, we will create Aghdam which will become an example for the whole world.
During the occupation, I repeatedly saw through binoculars the ruins of the city of Aghdam, a part of this city, while visiting the line of contact. While visiting the line of contact and looking at these ruins from afar, I told myself every time that we would definitely return there. We will return at any cost, restore historical justice, expel the enemy from our lands, and we have achieved this.
We tried to resolve this issue peacefully. But the people of Azerbaijan are well aware that peace negotiations were aimed simply at maintaining the status quo forever. Unfortunately, the mediators dealing with this issue did not put pressure on the aggressor and occupier over the course of 30 years of negotiations, did not force them, did not apply any sanctions against them, did not openly say that the occupying forces should vacate Azerbaijani lands. Naturally, the aggressor grew even more impudent and wanted to keep these lands under occupation forever, which is no secret.
Whereas initially I had certain hopes as President, at the final stage these hopes melted away. Because the Armenian leadership openly declared that the return these lands to us was impossible. Under such circumstances, the negotiations were actually stopped. I was openly stating that. Throughout the negotiations – from 2003 to the latest events – I have always told the Azerbaijani people the truth. I have always said that we will never allow the creation of a second Armenian state on our lands. I was saying that the solution to the issue should not be incomplete, which was why our position was often perceived ambiguously by the mediators. Certain pro-Armenian forces tried to accuse us – as if it was us who was the aggressor and occupier. Therefore, looking at Aghdam district through binoculars, I foresaw this day and knew that if the issue was not resolved through negotiations, then war was inevitable. The events that took place as a result of the military provocations of the Armenian state against us made the war inevitable.
The 44-day war has demonstrated our strength, shown the courage and heroism of our Armed Forces and the unity of our people. Uniting into a single fist, we inflicted crushing blows on the enemy and drove it out of our lands. Each of these 44 days is a heroic epic, each of these days is dear to us because we went forward every day, every single day. We did not retreat a single day. Towards the end of the war, the enemy began to panic, fell into hysteria and began to acknowledge its defeat. They were further convinced that they would not be able to cope with Azerbaijan.
During the war, we also acted with dignity by observing all the rules of warfare. That is why the losses among the civilian population on the Armenian side are very insignificant. We fought and waged the war only against the occupying army. We have never fought with civilians. Unlike Armenians, we did not commit acts of genocide or other war crimes. However, the crimes committed by the Armenians are already known to the whole world: the Khojaly genocide, the murder of the inhabitants of our other villages, the destruction of our cities. Notice that there is no such city as Aghdam. There is not. There is not a single building left. Only the ruins of the Juma mosque remain. And even that, as I said, was done it for two purposes. The first goal was it was used as a sign associated with this land. In other words, this point, this site was intended to adjust artillery fire. The second goal was an observation point. They conducted observations from the minarets of the mosque. After the war, I have been visiting Aghdam for the second time. The first time I came here from the Aghjabadi direction, but this time I came from the Barda direction. There are several lines of defense and fortifications in both directions. Apart from the ruins of the Juma mosque, there is not a single sound building. This was not done by some aliens. This was done by the Armenians – our neighbors who ate our bread, settled on our land, but always harbored a feeling of hatred towards us. These destructions took place after the first Karabakh war. This destruction was not committed during the second war. All of our material wealth has been deliberately destroyed and plundered. Our historical and religious sites have been ravaged. This also pursued several goals. First, there was hatred for us. Secondly, the goal was to erase the cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people from these lands and, of course, create a situation in the future for the people of Azerbaijan not to be able to return to these lands.
But they were wrong. They could not understand that the liberation of our lands from occupation was a national issue for us, for our people. They could not understand that we would never come to terms with such a situation and were openly declaring that. The second Karabakh war once again demonstrated to the whole world the determination, the resolve of the Azerbaijani people, and this glorious Victory will forever remain in history. From now on, the Azerbaijani state will develop as a winner state. The people of Azerbaijan will be proud as a victorious nation. Armenia, in turn, is a defeated state, and the atrocities they committed in our occupied lands put an end to the myths created by Armenian lobbying organizations about their people. Because the one who committed this destruction is a barbarian. There is no other name for it. This picture is observed not only here, but also in all the liberated lands. Having driven hundreds of kilometers, I saw that everything on the left and right was destroyed and plundered. It looked as if a wild tribe had swept through these lands. I have said this before and I want to say it again here, in the city of Aghdam, on the Republic Day: we waged war was not only against the fascist Armenian state but also against fascism. Our victory proves that all fascists will face the same end as the Armenians.
As for the war, we can talk a lot about it, of course. But we need to talk more about the future now. War is history, our glorious history. This history will remain forever. It should be deeply studied, and it is already being studied. The 44-day war and the innovations demonstrated by Azerbaijan are being studied on a global scale, in higher military schools of leading countries of the world. Of course, our technical capabilities seriously influenced the outcome of the war, but it was Azerbaijani soldiers and officers who hoisted the banner, raised it, walked forward in the face of death. We owe this Victory to our heroic servicemen, to our martyrs. There may be any equipment and material possibilities, but where there is no love of the Motherland and where there is no national spirit, if you are not ready to go to death for the Motherland, you will never secure a victory. The “brave” Armenian soldiers seeing our soldiers at the second stage of the war put down their weapons and fled. They are fleeing even today.
Unfortunately, the Armenian side has yet to give up provocative actions. I already spoke about this a few days ago when I was in Nakhchivan on May 10. If we see that there is a slightest threat to the security of our people and state, we will immediately destroy the enemy on the spot. They also know our strength and see it. Therefore, the provocation committed by the Armenian army on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border in recent days should not have remained unanswered and did not. They were disgraced yet again. Look, the whole world is laughing at them now. The prime minister puts forward one theory of events and the deputy chief of the general staff quite another – and it happens on the same day. These theories are also false. In other words, in 30 years the Armenians failed to build a state. This means that this people cannot build a state. This means that this people can only live within other large states. Using the capabilities of these large states, they can build life for themselves there. In 30 years, they had a unique chance – if it had not been for this occupation and hostility, if the Armenians had not committed these atrocities against our people, then Armenia, too, could possibly live as an independent state today. Look at the disgraceful state they are in now. They openly admit that they cannot defend their state and their borders. They are playing the blame game – the current government blames the previous one and the previous government blames the current one. In fact, they are all guilty because they made a big mistake. They did not think that they would find themselves in such a helpless state, and they themselves are the culprits of all their troubles.
We will strengthen our borders after this and gain a foothold on the state border. No-one can put pressure on us. No-one can influence us. Certain pro-Armenian countries and circles are making some statements these days. Let them make them, it is their own business. The European Parliament has once again adopted a resolution on the basis of falsified facts. I don’t even pay attention to that. And I recommend that not either. I do not advise the Azerbaijani people to pay any attention to it either. None of this makes any difference. What matters is that we are here today, we sit here, we stand here and we will live here forever. The 44-day war and the post-war period – six months have already passed – show again who is who and who is capable of what. We have also clarified many issues for ourselves, in particular, on the international plane. This will help us make the right decisions in the future.
I believe that it is a historic day today because the first master plan is being approved on the liberated lands today. At present, the master plan of the city of Shusha is being prepared, and it will be approved after some time. Work is underway on master plans of Fuzuli, Jabrayil and other cities. But the first master plan will be approved right here. Several events have already taken place. The foundation has been laid for school No. 1, which is very important for the city of Aghdam. You are well aware that this school has a very long history – 140 years long. To create jobs here in the future, the foundation of the Aghdam Industrial Park has been laid. The park covers an area of about 200 hectares, and hundreds, perhaps even thousands of people will be provided with jobs here in the future. The foundation of the Barda-Aghdam highway has been laid and it will be commissioned in the near future. At the same time, on my instructions, there are plans to build the Barda-Aghdam railway station. Work has already begun on the restoration of the Imaret complex. I have been shown the concept of the Museum of Occupation and the Museum of Victory in Aghdam. The location has been chosen – the Victory Museum and the Museum of the Occupation will be magnificent. There are other facilities and events, the foundation of a large forest has been laid. Inside the city, there will be a large green belt covering an area of 125 hectares. An artificial lake, canals and bridges will be created. The development plan of the city has already been fully developed, and it meets modern standards and requirements. The entire Karabakh zone will become a “green energy” zone. All cities will be built on the basis of a “smart city” concept. After this meeting today, we will be shown this presentation.
I am sure that everything planned will be implemented and we will often meet with you in the city of Aghdam, in Aghdam district. I want to return to my words again. Over these 17 years – from 2003 to 2020 – I held many meetings with the then internally displaced persons and each time I told them that we would return to these lands, that they would return to these lands. But I saw in recent years that hope in their eyes was fading. I saw it, and it was natural because about 30 years have passed. However, I was always confident that this would happen. I simply couldn’t say that. I couldn’t say when and how it would happen. But I knew what was going to happen.
I want to touch upon another issue. I know that our people were looking forward to my tweets and speeches during the war. In all my speeches and tweets, I always spoke and wrote the truth. Once I thought that the people of Aghdam are probably thinking why Jabrayil was liberated, Khojavand was liberated, Hadrut, Sugovushan, Murovdag, Fuzuli, Zangilan, Gubadli were liberated. Look how far we went. But why aren’t the villages of Aghdam not being liberated? I thought that you, the people of Aghdam, were probably wondering why. But I restrained myself. I could not say why. Now everyone knows the answer now because if we had gone on the offensive in this direction, we would have had many martyrs. They had built such fortifications and mined the area so badly that if we had gone on the offensive from here, it would have been a huge mistake, of course. But we kept a fairly large military contingent in this direction to make sure that a significant part of the Armenian army remained here. Thus, we significantly limited their ability to maneuver. We would have liberated Aghdam anyway. After the capture of the impregnable fortress of Shusha, Aghdam was the next direction on my order. I can say that now. Coming from behind, we were supposed to surround the Armenian group and completely destroy it.
It is quite likely that the Armenian side also realized this and was forced to wave the white flag and surrender. The enemy, who had been challenging us for 30 years, playing on our nerves, insulting our people and inventing some fake heroes, fell to its knees before us, waved the white flag, surrendered and signed an act of capitulation. We liberated Aghdam without a single shot and without a single martyr. We are here today and from now on, we will be here forever.
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People’s Artist Mansum Ibrahimov: Dear Mr. President, we are greeting you. Today, together with you, we are witnessing the historic foundation-laying ceremony in Aghdam, the beating heart of Karabakh. We are very proud of the fact that as a people who, after 28 years, won the Victory thanks to our valiant army under the leadership of the victorious Commander-in-Chief, we are celebrating the Republic Day in Aghdam.
The magnificent “Kharibulbul” festival organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in Shusha after the historic Victory of our valiant army became a celebration of our culture and a message to the whole world. Of course, we are grateful for this to you, the victorious Commander-in-Chief and our valiant army. We bow our heads to the memory of our martyrs and wish our ghazis a speedy recovery.
Mr. President, in your speech at the opening of the Mugham Center in Guzanli in 2018, you noted that we would soon build an even more majestic center in Aghdam. Today we are already witnessing this historic event. We are truly proud of this. On behalf of all the people of Aghdam, all artists, I express my gratitude to you for the fact that our statehood is eternal. From now on, we will hold mugham festivals, major events and festivals here. Thanks to you. Thank you for your attention.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.
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Member of Milli Majlis Bakhtiyar Sadigov: Dear Mr. President, it is one of the happiest days in our life today. The foundation is being laid for a new Karabakh, for a new Aghdam. We are also participating in this. It was you, the Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief, who gave us this happiness. You gave this happiness not only to us, not only to the former displaced persons, but also to the entire Azerbaijani people. You have restored our faith, revived our fading hopes and breathed new life into us. Thank you very much. We are grateful to you. You once again showed the world that the Azerbaijani people are a proud nation who have returned the lost lands in battles.
Dear Mr. President, in the 44-day patriotic war you worked a miracle. There is no other word for this – a miracle we all have witnessed. You have built a new army, brought up a new generation of patriotic youth. You created national unity. You have armed our army with the most modern weapons. As you waged the war in the 21st century, you applied the latest tactics and strategy. Even such a power center as the United States of America is studying your tactics, the tactics of the second Karabakh war, and making changes to its own army.
With an iron fist, you crushed the enemy and broke its back. You defeated Armenia not only on the battlefield, but also inflicted a shameful defeat on it in the field of diplomacy, in the information war. You are the only protagonist of the information war.
Dear Mr. President, thanks to you, we are experiencing happy and joyful days. You are a happy person yourself. You are a powerful commander who returned Azerbaijani lands that had been lost over five centuries. You are the victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief who successfully resolved the two-century Karabakh conflict. You are a happy son who has fulfilled the sacred covenant of his father. You are a true savior, thanks to whom the innermost dream of the Azerbaijani people came true. Thank you very much.
Dear Mr. President, you promised to return us to Karabakh, to Aghdam. Thank you very much. We are in Aghdam today. You said that we would turn Karabakh into a paradise. There are so many projects, and one is better than the other. You are the main author of these projects. We are confident that we will live calmly and joyfully in Karabakh very soon. We will always be proud of you. We are proud of you, Mr. President. Happy Holidays! Karabakh is Azerbaijan! Karabakh is ours!
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Chairman of the Council of Elders of Aghdam district Avaz Mikayilov: Dear Mr. President, at the beginning of my remarks, let me greet you on behalf of numerous elders of Aghdam district and convey their best wishes to you.
Of course, we were impatiently looking forward to this day. War – this word sounds so scary and awful. This word is filled with the groan of thousands of mothers and sisters, behind this word are devastated cities, villages and the death of our sons. All these sufferings were inflicted on us by the Armenians in the 30-year war. It is a great day today. We have left behind the sorrowful days, and such a foundation-laying ceremony is being held in Aghdam today. During the 44-day war, your answers to the questions of many foreign correspondents in Baku seemed to put them in a quagmire. They regretted asking you such questions. They did not expect that. Of course, we expected this from you. Or let’s take the four-hour-long press conference held in Baku after the war, where you communicated your point of view to the world in four languages – Azerbaijani, Turkish, Russian and English. We are proud of you. Your second visit to Aghdam, your arrival here to approve the master plan is a great honor for us, residents of Aghdam. We express our gratitude to you for this and are proud of you. Thank you very much.
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Member of Milli Majlis Agil Abbas: Dear Mr. President, first of all, we are the happiest people in the world, because we are here with you. Our people headed by you are happy. Standing under the flag in Horadiz facing Nakhchivan, I said: dear Mr. President, this flag was first raised as a state flag by your father, the great leader. We, including the residents of Karabakh, are confident that you will carry this flag directly to Nakhchivan and raise it there. You raised this flag, hoisted it in Shusha, our anthem and the overture were played. You will raise this flag over the Zangezur corridor.
Dear Mr. President, the great leader loved Mammad Araz’s poem very much: “The world is yours, the world is mine, the world is nobody’s.” Today that poem has changed. Now it goes: “The world is yours, the world is mine, the world is ours.” You gave this world to us, to the people. This is how people read the lines of this poem now.
Dear Mr. President, my friends here talked about our 44-day victory. I don’t want to repeat them. At that time, I was here on the front line. We were doing observations. I want to mention another idea – I probably talk a lot. I want to remember Mammad Araz again. He writes: “If the Motherland will call me a son, I would be glad to be a blade of grass on its rocks.” You have become the son not only of this Motherland, you have become the son of the entire Turkic people, the greatest son. Glory to you.
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President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much, thank you. As you know, Jabrayil district was the first district to be liberated from occupation during the war. Informing the people about this, I thought that this was probably one of the happiest days in my life. Because to completely liberate the first district and clear it of the occupiers is a truly historic event. This breathed a new life into our people and army, instilled faith in them. This was followed by Fuzuli, then Hadrut, Murovdag, Sugovushan, Zangilan, Gubadli. Each time, I told myself that I was experiencing the happiest days of my life. On 10 November, we witnessed Armenia’s capitulation. Moreover, not only the Azerbaijani public, but also the whole world knows how it was signed. I still don’t know in which corner Pashinyan signed it. This was the culminating point of the war, of the victory, it was a real act of surrender. This is how everyone perceives it today.
After that, when I was in Shusha for the first time on 14 January, I told myself that I was experiencing the happiest days of my life. I am saying the same words today. I am sure that there will be many more happy days in the life of our people after this. I wish our people happiness. I hope we will soon restore Aghdam, return citizens and live on our beautiful land, on the Karabakh land forever. Congratulations again.
From the place: Led by you.
President Ilham Aliyev: Let’s go now. We will be informed about the master plan.
X X X
President Ilham Aliyev: They have never seen Aghdam, but they have shown excellent results. I am told that they scored 644, 644 and 650 points. Right? At last year’s admission exams, they demonstrated their knowledge, gaining these scores, so today, on this historic day, I specifically invited them to their native land, so that along with the elders and renowned people, representatives of the younger generation would also be present here. Because we must celebrate this historic day in this way, together with representatives of all generations. The future of our country is in the hands of such competent and educated youth who are attached to their native land.
Members of the public: Led by you, Inshallah. Glory to you.
Ruslan Sadigov, Executive Director of the “White City” project: These are photographs from the meetings of our national leader with the public in Aghdam.
President Ilham Aliyev: Where is this spring located?
Members of the public: The spring is in Khindiristan and Ildirim Jafarov was the chairman of a collective farm. This is in Garvand, Khuraman Abbasova. I am from Garvand.
President Ilham Aliyev: From Garvand village?
Public representative: Yes, I attended that event there. The spring is called Heydar Spring. May Allah rest his soul.
President Ilham Aliyev: And this is from a meeting with the elders.
Ruslan Sadigov: Mr. President, you asked for the plan of the city of Aghdam to be reviewed together with the district public because communications, roads, railways and drainage lines, which is important infrastructure, should complement each other. Therefore, this part of the district liberated from occupation, covering an area of 70,900 hectares, was examined. At the same time, its geographical features were also taken into account. Climate conditions are considered as well – what can be planted, what agricultural crops can be grown depending on climatic conditions. On the basis of that, together with the public and the administration, 33 villages have been designed in order to equip all 71 villages with great comfort.
President Ilham Aliyev: This will be the first stage. At the first stage, 33 villages have been identified, while some villages will be merged. At the next stage, the remaining villages will be gradually restored. But we have built our main plan around 33 villages.
Ruslan Sadigov: The initial reforms here are associated with farmland. In accordance with the reforms, approximately 25 hundredths of a hectare are envisaged. With your permission, 18 hundredths of a hectare are provided to each household as a private land parcel. Compared to other districts, this is a high figure. This was recommended by you.
President Ilham Aliyev: That is, a private land parcel?
Members of the public: A very high number. Perfect. It is a very large plot.
Ruslan Sadigov: After this, in accordance with your instructions, in order to attract investors and ensure the development of modern agricultural sectors in Aghdam, there are plans to create 200 modern farms on 10 and 50 hectares. The rest of the public land is to be used create 50 modern farms on 50-100 hectares. At the same time, on your instructions, the first large enterprises have been carrying out sowing work here from the very first day so that the sown areas do not remain empty. Several large modern farms will also be set up on 1,500, 3,000 and 4,000 hectares.
President Ilham Aliyev: Aghdam entrepreneurs are also hearing this now. Let them make proposals so that not an inch of the land remains empty here.
Ruslan Sadigov: Thank you, Mr. President. If you look at this slide, you can see that several villages are to be joined here. They will be joined in such a manner that land reclamation structure is aligned with roads of villages and the flow of water after water supply to the reclamation canals is restored, so that they do not interfere with each other. You can see these villages – we are showing the area in the middle part of Aghdam district – from the Khachinchay to the Gargarchay rivers. These villages will be joined in this form and the rest of the state lands in another. In places between all country roads, forest belts will be established so that to restore green spaces in the city of Aghdam. Mr. President, the villages are divided so that large plots cover 150 hectares, which we can divide into smaller plots of 25 hectares each. In accordance with the size of land parcels for each family, we will divide them into plots of 4 hectares, 5 hectares, 18 hundredths of a hectare – for each family, as it was said. They will be planned in such a way that, whether a village is built or not, the location of water communications is already known.
President Ilham Aliyev: Will everyone have water?
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes. It is possible that land reclamation lines will be built in two to three years, but their plans will be coordinated and they will not interfere with anything. According to the new system, as shown on this picture, there will be reclamation waters in front of each courtyard. This will allow the residents of Aghdam district the opportunity to build a farm, but also carry out their work using traditional old-fashioned methods.
President Ilham Aliyev: What do thing about this proposal?
Representatives of the public: Excellent, it would be great, Mr. President. Good luck. Everything is thought out very carefully. It will be built for the future. The future is the main thing. It is an exemplary project.
President Ilham Aliyev: I am telling you that this city and the entire district will become an example for the world.
Ruslan Sadigov: Mr. President, as far as the city is concerned, it has been taken mainly within its historical borders. In addition to this, several villages have been joined to it.
President Ilham Aliyev: Which villages are joined to the city?
Representatives of the public: Eight villages – Etyemazli, Garagashli, Khidirli, Sarihajili, Chukhurmahla, Garazeynalli. Mr. President, these villages have urban traditions.
President Ilham Aliyev: Are they joined together?
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes. The population of the city of Aghdam was 36,000 people. Taking into account the residents of the joined villages and population growth, it exceeds 50,000. According to your instructions, the city has been designed for 100,000 people. We are sure that Aghdam will become one of the largest industrial and tourist cities of Azerbaijan and, according to your instructions, all aspects have been taken into account. As for the city itself, it is surrounded by gardens, dense modern gardens. When approaching the city, tourists and local people will see the most modern gardens in its vicinity. These gardens can accommodate small businesses, tourist facilities, hotels for 8-12-20 people, so that visitors of the city can stay in these hotels without leaving here. There will be an interesting landscape. Blooming plants have been selected, such as lavender, almond and others. With the onset of spring, Aghdam will be surrounded by flowers that change every month.
Representative of the public: Mr. President, anything you plant will grow in Aghdam. All subtropical plants grow in Aghdam. The land is very fertile.
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, the land is very fertile.
Representative of the public: Mr. President, I am from Garvand. There were water canals. Certain measures will probably be taken to open them in the future.
President Ilham Aliyev: An instruction has been given, a commission has been set up and this work is now progressing under the leadership of the Deputy Prime Minister. Thanks to the liberation of Sugovushan, things will go easier. The fact is that there were two canals from there, if I am not mistaken. One canal was closed because during the occupation it was used for military purposes. It needs to be opened, and we can direct any volume of water from Sugovushan. We plan to restore water supply to about 100,000 hectares of land that used to be irrigated before. As you know, the Armenians cut off the water in the summer and then opened it.
Members of the public: Yes, they blocked both Khachin and there.
President Ilham Aliyev: Khachin is with us now, the full reservoir. I have sent a group there. They are examining its surroundings. The Khachinchay reservoir itself has a large capacity – about 23 million cubic meters. It is a large reservoir. So it is under my control. Work is underway on one of these canals. The other one will be opened as well. Water from there will flow not only to Aghdam, but also to Barda, Yevlakh, Tartar, Goranboy and several other districts. This is why we drilled artesian wells here. We have drilled the most artesian wells here – 150. It is necessary to drill an additional 10 wells.
Ruslan Sadigov: Mr. President, taking into account the peculiarities of Aghdam, we know that Shahbulag is one of the most beautiful and popular places in the vicinity of the city. It is a historical place and a landmark. Therefore, the outskirts of the city will be arranged so that the gardens will be laid out around it to the north, in the direction of the Shahbulag fortress all the way to the Khachinchay river, and from there to the village of Eyvazkhanbayli, where, according to your instructions, a stud farm will be located. So visitors to Aghdam will be able to admire Shahbulag. There will be a historical part and museums in the fortress. People are already coming to see that. A museum route has already been created. Signs have been installed everywhere, a lot of mine clearance work has been done, and visitors are already coming here as tourists.
President Ilham Aliyev: As you know, we have created a horse-breeding farm in Aghjabadi. We will build another one here, on a historical site.
Ruslan Sadigov: This is why the roads leading here are in the spotlight. Gardens will be laid out around them to give the roads a special beauty.
This is an analysis of a network of cities in the world. It shows how the most beautiful cities in the world are planned, what their networks look like, what the width of their streets is, views, parks, vehicles. We can see cities with a population of 813,000 people, 6 million, 2 million, as well as 90,000, 350,000. This is the previous plan of the city of Aghdam. We have built this network on the basis of this plan in order to preserve a specific beauty.
President Ilham Aliyev: Types of green energy, “smart city” – are there presentations about that? About buses and streetcars?
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes, everything is there. It is with great pleasure that we want to inform the public that, on your instructions, UNECE, a UN agency, has published a brochure “On the provisions of a smart and sustainable city”, which includes 18 provisions. It reflects everything – from the IT network to tourism and green areas, transport. So everything will be taken into account.
President Ilham Aliyev: Are there comparisons too?
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes, these are comparisons – the density of cities. These are the cities of the world. This shows their density. And here are our villages and the city of Aghdam. Only Ganja and Sumgayit will surpass Aghdam in terms of density.
President Ilham Aliyev: Will it cover a larger area than Sumgayit?
Ruslan Sadigov: It will be bigger than Sumgayit. Mr. President, even though 1,700 hectares have been taken as a basis, when analyzing the density, we saw that, for example, a city like Berlin has a density of 1. It is a fairly green city. If we take less, then the area for transport slightly increases. Therefore, on your advice, we decided to allocate some territories within these 1,700 hectares for gardens, so that there is a slightly higher density.
President Ilham Aliyev: The city of Aghdam used to cover an area of 700-800 hectares. Now we are doubling it.
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes, an industrial zone is also envisaged. There will be a unity of everything in future transport zones. There will be multi-storey buildings here. Thirty percent of the territory of Aghdam will accommodate 70 percent of the population. Another thirty percent of the population will live in individual houses. There will be 1,750 individual houses, 23,000 apartments and a population of 100,000 people in Aghdam. The center will be the most populous place. This is the master plan itself.
President Ilham Aliyev: Is this the road to Barda?
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes, it is the road to Barda. You planted the first hackberry tree. These trees are beautiful and majestic. In our demolition work, we take care of every tree. We quickly opened a forest park so that, if possible, we would have a place to plant them. We will move all suitable trees from here to the park.
Representatives of the public: Hackberry is a sacred tree that protects from the evil eye.
President Ilham Aliyev: Is this the park I mentioned – 125 hectares, an extended city park?
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes. The canal we mentioned also passes through here. We placed the canal so that there were houses along it.
President Ilham Aliyev: Will the canal pass through the city like the river?
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes, according to land reclamation projects, there will always be water – sometimes a strong, sometimes a weak stream. On this 2-kilometer stretch, people will be able to take boat rides.
President Ilham Aliyev: Walking along the boulevard and boating?
Ruslan Sadygov: Yes, we will tell you about this as well now. They will be able to cover a two-kilometer distance from there by boats. As you know, the people of Aghdam have excellent cuisine, everyone wants to try it, so there will be recreation areas of this type. This will be the historical center. And this is the open-air museum of occupation. There is a mosque here. A neighborhood in the ancient Aghdam style will be set up in front of the mosque. This is the site lace of school No. 1, the central park with an area of 4 hectares was located next to the mosque, because since there will be a museum of occupation there, the park will be moved here. And here is the well-known access to the Barda-Aghdam road. We intend to restore the sculptural composition “Farhad cuts through Mount Bisutun”, which is memorable for the people of Aghdam. The park we are seeing will be the most beautiful part of the city. Earthwork is already under way.
President Ilham Aliyev: One of them will also be here.
Representatives of the public: There are many parks.
Ruslan Sadigov: There are many parks, Mr. President. Typically, green belts in cities occupy 15 percent of the territory, while here forest belts will account for 23 percent. This is one of our main principles of a “sustainable city”, a “smart city”. We will provide additional information on the mechanism being created here. Preference will be given to pedestrians. Social infrastructure and schools are planned so that people can reach them on foot from everywhere.
President Ilham Aliyev: Can people reach anywhere on foot?
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes, anywhere. All roads – we are going to show you the road maps now – have cycle paths for people to use bicycles, because we know that a sedentary lifestyle has already become an urgent issue in large cities.
President Ilham Aliyev: It is necessary to preserve the ecological balance as much as possible.
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes, we will inform you additionally about the percentage. Transport infrastructure – pedestrians first, individual bicycles second, public transport third. On your instructions, new streetcar lines operating on electricity are also envisaged. The streetcars will run on wheels without rails.
President Ilham Aliyev: There are no streetcars anywhere else in our country, especially those powered by electricity.
Representatives of the public: And trolleybuses. Dear Mr. President, may Allah bless you, you are implementing such wonderful projects that our Aghdam, together with Shusha, will become a garden of paradise.
President Ilham Aliyev: I said that they would become a paradise.
Representative of the public: In the garden of paradise, there will also be my tar and my performance. May Allah bless you.
Ruslan Sadigov: Mr. President, the streetcars will run in a circle, in the middle of which there will be a 60-meter road. It will originate from the first residential block, the foundation of which was laid by you and reach the administrative center. A new square with a platform will be built in the center. The city administration will be located there and, in front of it, there will be a congress hall.
President Ilham Aliyev: Public events, parades, congress hall.
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes, there will be public and exhibitions. It is also possible to organize agricultural and tourism exhibitions. Near Aghdam there is a height that can be used as a Highland Park. There are plans to create an outdoor theater there so that the sounds of mugham concerts to be organized in Aghdam can be heard throughout the city.
On the suggestion of the Ministry of Education, 15 school projects have been presented. According to your instructions, there are plans to establish the Karabakh University. In addition to the university, secondary vocational education institutions and lyceums will be set up as well.
President Ilham Aliyev: Aghdam will become the educational center of the entire Karabakh.
Ruslan Sadigov: Future investors also want to build a special school. If they wish, they can also set up a campus here. Our students can receive education in beautiful Aghdam, a historical place very close to Shusha. It is better than staying somewhere else. In this part, on your instructions, a stadium will be built provided. The stadium is designed for more than 30,000 spectators. It must meet certain standards in order for matches to be played here.
President Ilham Aliyev: And it will be called Imaret. But we will also rebuild Imaret, because it was originally envisaged as a hippodrome. So we will transform it into the form of a hippodrome.
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes, I think the Imaret palace of Panahali Khan will become one of the most visited places in Aghdam and Azerbaijan in general. Projects have been prepared on your instructions. I think that it will become one of the most magnificent tourist sites.
President Ilham Aliyev: Railway station?
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes, it will be located in the eastern part of the city. Large enterprises, one- and two-storey shopping facilities will be created along the roads leading to the station, so that there are no large facilities inside the city, so that they are all located on this road. The smart and sustainable social infrastructure is designed so that schools, social services, medical facilities, parks, city squares – all this constitutes a unity and is close to each other. Schools are indicated here by circles, all of them will be located at a distance of 300-350 meters. Wherever a person lives, a school will be 300-350 meters from them.
President Ilham Aliyev: So people will walk to them?
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes, they will walk. This is done to minimize the use of public and personal transport. The coverage area of city parks is shown here. Leaving home, people will be able to reach any park located at a distance of 400 meters. And these are public places.
President Ilham Aliyev: It will be a city to live in.
Ruslan Sadigov: Smart and sustainable city, public transport. You have already mentioned this: pedestrians come first, bicycles come second, then public transport, then taxis and car sharing. As you know, people can share cars using Smart Mobility. There are also electric scooters and young people give prefer them. We can see this in our city too. There will be separate conditions and infrastructure for that so that people can safely and comfortably use bicycles without accessing the highway. They will not interfere with pedestrians and pedestrians will not interfere with them. This is one of the most important provisions of a smart and sustainable city. It has an impact on both the environment and the standard of living. There is a 79-kilometer cycle path.
This is the electric streetcar we mentioned.
President Ilham Aliyev: Without rails?
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes, without rails. This is the first circle that will be arranged at the initial stage. And this is the second circle. With the grace of God, when the population of the city reaches 100,000 people, an additional bus service is provided as a third circle.
This is the road infrastructure, Mr. President. We see that the widest road – the avenue with a streetcar line – is 60 meters wide. There are pedestrian and bicycle paths here. Streetcar and motorways are not included here.
President Ilham Aliyev: Is this a separate line?
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes, separate. This means that cars are placed in the middle so as not to interfere with the movement of pedestrians.
President Ilham Aliyev: In all cities, streetcars usually move along the middle of the road, which creates some danger, but there will be a separate line here.
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes, this is a separate line. There will be stops where people can board the streetcar. This will not affect personal cars or traffic. The 60-meter road will be similar to the one in Lisbon. The sidewalks are wide enough. These are intersections, and the smallest roads are 20 meters long. Their structure is also shown. All have bicycle paths.
I would like to inform you that “AzerEnergy” is already laying high-voltage lines. “AzerIshig” has already extended temporary lines here, the location of two substations has been determined and they will be put into operation in the coming days. Water sources are being identified. Water will be pumped from water sources in the western part of the city from a height of about 500 meters into the reservoir, and from there it will flow out under its own pressure. The loop line will also be built in the water system to provide water pressure without the need for additional pumps and motor systems to be installed in people’s homes. This is also in line with the provisions of a new smart and sustainable city. And these are samples of houses to be built in Aghdam. Of course, they can be different in shape, but this is the first glance. These are the surrounding gardens I reported to you about, such farms.
President Ilham Aliyev: Agricultural?
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes, suburban. It is quite likely that suburban villages of Aghdam will be like this, because the division of all of them has been transferred to this system. There are beautiful stones in Aghdam. We have allocated a place for the stones collected after the demolition to be collected there. Although the quarries are not yet used, these stones will impart special beauty to the open-air museum of occupation in Aghdam, for example – and this is already foreseen in the project. And this is the Garaghaj cemetery of Aghdam, which has a long history. All the gravestones in this cemetery have been destroyed by the Armenians and the cemetery has been plowed up. This is the most painful topic for the people of Aghdam. A separate project is also envisaged here. We will restore whatever can be restored.
Representatives of the public: There are graves of our parents there. Everything has been destroyed and plowed up.
Ruslan Sadigov: Mr. President, you laid the foundation of a magnificent mosque in Shusha. Shusha with its mosque is waiting for our people. Glory to Allah that this remains as the largest historical site of Aghdam, a source of our pride. At the same time, there are projects of new mosques.
President Ilham Aliyev: Work has already begun on the restoration of the Aghdam Juma Mosque. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation took over this work and specialists have been involved. First of all, we must restore this mosque.
Representatives of the public: We are grateful to Mehriban khanim.
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, we also have to restore the Giyasli mosque. It has also been destroyed. Of course, mosques will be built elsewhere too.
Ruslan Sadigov: This film shows the happy days of Aghdam in the past and then the city destroyed during the occupation.
President Ilham Aliyev: Show this too, this is interesting.
Ruslan Sadigov: Yes, the canal system we have mentioned. This canal will stretch to the city waterfall.
President Ilham Aliyev: Like Venice.
Ruslan Sadigov: The canal starting from the city waterfall will pass between the houses and stretch to the park where you planted the tree. Around the city, the canal will have this shape.
President Ilham Aliyev: What will be the width?
Ruslan Sadigov: The width is expected to be about 30 meters. Neither more nor less. And around it, there will be sidewalks and places for walking, as well as catering facilities.
President Ilham Aliyev: Bridges.
Ruslan Sadigov: There will be beautiful bridges there, some of the best in the world. You approved them and gave us instructions. There will be recreation areas and beautiful places for people to relax in the summer.
President Ilham Aliyev: And here is the building the foundation of which we laid. We laid the foundation for the first building, of white color.
Representatives of the public: In short, it is a miracle you spoke about. It is indeed a miracle.
President Ilham Aliyev: Aghdam means a white building.
Ruslan Sadigov: You laid the foundation of for the first large white building in the city.
Representatives of the public: Mr. President, both our war and creative work have become an example.
President Ilham Aliyev: That is right. I said that this would become an example for the world. This is a modern concept of urban planning principles.
Ruslan Sadigov: Mr. President, the place you are seeing is planned in such a way that it will remain in the future as a city pavilion. The foundation will be laid here for future generations to see.
President Ilham Aliyev: To see that the foundation was laid here.
Ruslan Sadigov: Here, on your instructions, a pavilion will be built, where we plan to present a model of the future Aghdam. Both local and visitors will be able to see it. This is the square where you raised the flag. On the right
is the territory reserved for the museum of the occupation, which will remain in the same form. And in front of us is a park with an area of 4 hectares.
President Ilham Aliyev: We are approaching this historic moment.
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The head of state laid the foundation for the restoration of the city.
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Representatives of the public: Good luck. It is a great honor for us.
President Ilham Aliyev: This is a historic day, a historic event.
Public representative: With your blessing, we also want to show the “Leyli and Majnun” performances here.
President Ilham Aliyev: Concerts can be organized here during construction work.
Public representative: Believe me, Mr. President, I have performed on stage with my tar for 60 years. No matter how many festivals there have been, the most grandiose was the one in Shusha. May Allah bless you. May Allah grant you a life as long as that of Shusha.
Public representative: Mr. President, it is worth living and creating. You have done a brilliant job. It is hard to believe, but it is really the case. May Allah bless you.
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Then singers performed mugham together.
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Public representative: Mr. President, we want the opera “Leyli and Majnun” to be staged in Shusha, where Uzeyir Bey was born, and to go on stage there.
President Ilham Aliyev: A very good proposal.
Public representative: Mr. President, yesterday you signed an excellent Order to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Baku Music Academy named after Uzeyir Hajibayli. On the 100th anniversary of the Academy, we will present you the best performances. But the greatest poem, story, symphony, a masterpiece was written by you. By freeing these lands, you have done a huge job. Thanks to this, music, art and the Motherland will live on. We, too, will always be with you. You have breathed life into us. May Allah bless you.
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Then photographs were taken.
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The head of state planted a tree on the territory.
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Public representative: Driving through Aghdam and Guzanli, the great leader said: The people of Aghdam, do not worry, there will come a time when Aghdam will be liberated from occupation.
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, that’s right, I was there too.
Public representative: The great leader has always paid great attention to the development of Aghdam. And you have liberated Aghdam from occupation. We, the people of Aghdam, are always indebted to you.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. Congratulations again!
https://en.president.az/articles/51777
Ilham Aliyev visited Giyasli mosque in Aghdam
As part of his visit to Aghdam, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has visited Giyasli mosque.
https://en.president.az/articles/51778
Ilham Aliyev visited Shahbulag Fortress in Aghdam
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has visited the Shahbulag Fortress in Aghdam.
The head of state was presented the reconstruction plan of the monument.
https://en.president.az/articles/51779
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Ilham Aliyev arrived in Fuzuli district for visit
Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva arrived in Fuzuli district for visit
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have arrived in Fuzuli district for a visit.
The head of state and the First Lady viewed construction progress at Fuzuli International Airport.
President Ilham Aliyev was informed of the work done at the airport.
General Director of “AzVirt” LLC, Kamil Aliyev: Mr. President, the construction of the Fuzuli International Airport began in January. This poster shows the 3,000-meter-long and 60-meter-wide runway. Landings will be provided on both sides. To date, we have completed earthworks for the construction of the runway and the apron. Now we are engaged in the construction of the road surface.
President Ilham Aliyev: I can see that you are already paving the road.
Kamil Aliyev: According to our program, the first test flight will take place here on 5 September. We have assembled two asphalt plants here in Guruchay to carry out this construction. There are also three stone-cutting facilities.
President Ilham Aliyev: Are you using the materials locally?
Kamil Aliyev: We are using it both here and in the construction of the 17-kilometer section of the Victory Road. The apron area is 60,000 square meters and can accommodate about eight A-320 aircraft. There will also be a parking lot for 170 cars.
President Ilham Aliyev: This joins the road to Fuzuli.
Kamil Aliyev: This part joins the road to Fuzuli. It will connect both to Victory Road and the main four-lane highway. Concrete works in the construction of the building are almost 80 percent complete.
President Ilham Aliyev: Here?
Kamil Aliyev: Yes, here. The roof has been brought from Italy and is already in Baku. Façade materials have been brought from Turkey.
President Ilham Aliyev: When approximately will this airport terminal be ready?
Kamil Aliyev: The airport terminal can be fully commissioned by the end of this year if things go as fast.
President Ilham Aliyev: Is the flight control tower also being built?
Kamil Aliyev: Yes, the tower is under construction. Air navigation and construction works are underway. The signaling system is operated by a Turkish company. A substation has been built and work is underway in all directions.
Then, President Ilham Aliyev inspected the work done on the runway.
President Ilham Aliyev: Much of it is ready, right?
Kamil Aliyev: 800 meters. We have already started earthworks in Zangilan.
President Ilham Aliyev: Did you start the work too?
Kamil Aliyev: Yes. We also visited the site in Lachin district where the airport will be built and determined its project location. There are extensive earthworks involved.
President Ilham Aliyev: I know that you will have to cut through the mountains there. This work is also on the agenda. When will you start?
Kamil Aliyev: We are already mobilizing. We have an office there. We have already delivered equipment to the site.
President Ilham Aliyev: Very good. How are things going on the highway?
Kamil Aliyev: Mr. President, it is a 17-kilometer section of the Fuzuli-Shusha road. We also have 10 kilometers of the Fuzuli-Hadrut road. We recently signed an agreement on the construction of the Aghband road.
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, I said that. You are building half of the Horadiz-Aghband road.
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Work is underway to introduce new international air corridors to operate flights to Fuzuli, Zangilan and Lachin airports in accordance with international standards.
https://en.president.az/articles/52102
Ilham Aliyev visited Ashaghi Kondalanchay reservoir in Fuzuli district
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have visited Ashaghi Kondalanchay reservoir in Fuzuli district.
The head of state was informed of the technical parameters of the reservoir.
The water source with a total capacity of 9.5 million cubic meters enabled the irrigation of 62,000 hectares of land. After the occupation of Fizuli district by Armenian invaders in 1993, the operation of the reservoir by Azerbaijan became impossible. During the occupation, the Armenians, who committed environmental terror on our lands, cut off the water in the seasons when there was a great need for it in economic activities and released it from the reservoir during floods or when there was no need for water, thus causing Azerbaijan serious problems.
President Ilham Aliyev said:
– This is the Kondalanchay reservoir. It was in the hands of the enemy for many years. For many years, we were deprived of this water. After the second Karabakh war, it is already in our hands and will serve the interests of the Azerbaijani people. This reservoir was built on the instructions and initiative of great leader Heydar Aliyev in the early 1980s. Its primary objective was to develop agriculture in Fizuli district, as thousands of hectares of land were irrigated from this reservoir. As a result of the Patriotic war, we now control both the Sugovushan and the Kondalanchay reservoirs. Relevant instructions have already been issued for the future operation of these reservoirs.
A map of water sources in all our liberated lands is being developed now. All our water resources, rivers, lakes, reservoirs – all this wealth is in our hands now. To use this water efficiently, funds have already been allocated for the construction of new canals and the restoration of old ones. Relevant instructions have been issued and an extensive program launched.
Some time ago, I sent a group of experts to the Kondalanchay reservoir. The condition of this reservoir has been assessed, and, of course, we will use this water when life returns to these areas. During the occupation, the contemptible enemy deprived us of water. Since the Sarsang reservoir and the Sugovushan reservoir were in the hands of the enemy, 100,000 hectares of land were left without water. For this reason, hundreds of artesian wells were drilled in a number of districts to improve water supply. Aghdam, Tartar, Barda, Yevlakh, Goranboy and other districts were deprived of water from the Tartar River. I was recently informed that more than 30,000 hectares of land were supplied with water from the Sugovushan reservoir after the Patriotic war. At the same time, the Khachinchay reservoir in Aghdam district is also under our control. It has been liberated from occupation. In fact, that reservoir is larger in size than this one. I want to say again that all our water resources are being evaluated and analyzed and will give us a great advantage in the future.
We have returned to our native lands, we have returned to Fuzuli. The Kondalanchay reservoir is in our hands and this will be the case forever.
https://en.president.az/articles/52103
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Ilham Aliyev viewed construction of Ahmadbayli-Fuzuli-Shusha highway and Victory road
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has viewed the work done on the Ahmadbayli-Fuzuli-Shusha highway and Victory road.
The head of state was informed of the construction progress on the highways.
https://en.president.az/articles/52104
Ilham Aliyev inaugurated “Fuzuli” substation
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have attended the inauguration of the newly built “Fuzuli” substation.
The head of state was informed of the work done at the 110/35/10 kV substation.
https://en.president.az/articles/52105
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Ilham Aliyev viewed construction of bridge over Victory road
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has viewed the work done on the bridge constructed on the Victory road passing through a part of Khojavand district.
The head of state was informed of the technical parameters of the bridge.
https://en.president.az/articles/52106
Ilham Aliyev laid foundation stone for tunnel to be constructed on Ahmadbayli-Fuzuli-Shusha highway
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has laid a foundation stone for a tunnel to be constructed on Ahmadbayli-Fuzuli-Shusha highway passing through a part of the territory of Dashalti village.
The head of state was informed of the technical indicators of the tunnel.
https://en.president.az/articles/52107
Ilham Aliyev welcomed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Fuzuli district
President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has today left for the city of Shusha.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev welcomed President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan in Fuzuli district.
President Ilham Aliyev: My dear brother, welcome to the Karabakh land!
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Pleased to see you! However, the Karabakh lands are devastated.
President Ilham Aliyev: You will see even more now. See?
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: We do.
President Ilham Aliyev: Welcome, Emine khanim!
Emine Erdogan: Nice to meet you!
President Ilham Aliyev: This is Fuzuli district, or Lower Karabakh. When you come from Baku, Fuzuli is the first Karabakh region.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: There are road construction projects here.
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, we have started them. And these are Karabakh mountains and forests.
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The heads of state then headed to Shusha.
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President Ilham Aliyev: At present, the master plan of Fuzuli is being prepared. We will probably approve it in a few months. After that, we will start restoration work.
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On the way, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan viewed the territories adjacent to Shusha.
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President Ilham Aliyev: I will show you where Shusha is from here.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Do please, let’s have a look.
President Ilham Aliyev: Over there, on the top of that rock from left to right. And that village below Shusha is called Dashalti.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Dashalti means a stone and place underneath it.
President Ilham Aliyev: Dashalti means underneath a stone.
Emine Erdogan: Is Shusha right behind it?
President Ilham Aliyev: Shusha is right above it.
Emine Erdogan: On a plain.
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, on that plain. That mountain ledge on the right is the Jidir Duzu plain. It is the famous Jidir Duzu plain where equestrian competitions are held. We will go and see those places as well.
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They posed for photographs here.
https://en.president.az/articles/52112
Official welcome ceremony was held for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Shusha
An official welcome ceremony has been held for President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who arrived in Azerbaijan for an official visit, in Shusha.
A guard of honor was arranged for the Turkish President in the square decorated with the national flags of the two countries.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva welcomed President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and First Lady Emine Erdogan.
The chief of the guard of honor reported to the Turkish President.
The Turkish President saluted the Azerbaijani soldiers.
President Ilham Aliyev and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reviewed the guard of honor.
The state anthems of the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan were played.
The guard of honor marched in front of the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the accompaniment of a military march.
The presidents posed for official photos.
https://en.president.az/articles/52113
Presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey held a one-on-one meeting
Following the official welcome ceremony in Shusha, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan have held a one-on-one meeting.
After the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev presented the Karabakh Order to Lutfi Haluk Bayraktar, the General Manager of Baykar.
Under the Order of President Ilham Aliyev, Lutfi Haluk Bayraktar has been decorated with this high award for his contribution to the strengthening of fraternal relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey, the development of cooperation, and to the just cause of ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
https://en.president.az/articles/52114
Ilham Aliyev, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited monuments of famous Azerbaijani personalities Natavan, Bulbul and Uzeyir Hajibayov in Shusha
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, First Lady Emine Erdogan have visited the monuments of famous Azerbaijani personalities Natavan, Bulbul, and Uzeyir Hajibayov in Shusha.
https://en.president.az/articles/52121
Azerbaijan, Turkey signed Shusha Declaration on allied relations
Following the one-on-one meeting of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Shusha, a “Shusha Declaration on allied relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkey” has been signed.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the Shusha Declaration.
https://en.president.az/articles/52115
Presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey visited “Khan gizi” spring in Shusha
Presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey visited “Khan gizi” spring in Shusha
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, First Lady Emine Erdogan, have visited the “Khan gizi” spring in Shusha.
The Turkish President was informed of the “Khan gizi” spring.
A photo then was taken in front of the “Khan gizi” spring.
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Then the Presidents and their family members headed to the Jidir Duzu plain by bus.
President Ilham Aliyev: This is Karabakh hotel. It was built during my father’s time in office. The Armenians used only two of its floors.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: What about the other floors?
President Ilham Aliyev: They were in a deplorable state.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Is the hotel being restored now?
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, restoration work has begun. They will be completed within three to four months.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: When work in this building and at the airport is completed, tourists will start coming here.
President Ilham Aliyev: The one you are staying at did not work either.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Was it there before?
President Ilham Aliyev: It was there in Soviet times. This is a residential building. These are the places left after the war. And this is the Govharagha mosque. We have renovated it too.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Is it operational now?
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes. Mehriban and I came here and prayed last time. One mosque here was dilapidated. And this is a spring.
Emine Erdogan: How many springs are there?
President Ilham Aliyev: There are 17 springs here because there were 17 blocks, 17 mosques and 17 springs in Shusha. This is what the Armenians have done to our buildings.
Bilal Erdogan: In other words, did they live in poverty?
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, they lived in poverty. These are all buildings of the Soviet era. Have a look – these are traces of war. There were street fights here. Everything here is in such a ruined state.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Kharibulbul.
President Ilham Aliyev: Kharibulbul is the name of this flower.
Bilal Erdogan: It just grows here?
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, we will show it there. And this is Vagif’s mausoleum. He was the vizier of the Karabakh khan.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Is it newly built?
President Ilham Aliyev: My father built it. The Armenians destroyed it. We are rebuilding it now. It should be ready within a month. Molla Panah Vagif, the vizier of Ibrahimkhalil Khan, was at the same time a very famous poet. In 1982, my father built this mausoleum on his grave. And the Armenians destroyed it.
And now we are going to the historic place of Shusha – the Jidir Duzu plain.
https://en.president.az/articles/52117
“Musical heritage and Karabakh horses on Jidir Duzu plain” composition organized by Heydar Aliyev Foundation was presented in Shusha
The “Musical heritage and Karabakh horses on the Jidir Duzu plain” composition organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation has been presented in Shusha.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, First Lady Emine Erdogan viewed the musical composition.
The composition featured dances by the ballet troupe of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, the Azerbaijan State Song and Dance Ensemble named after Fikrat Amirov, the Azerbaijan State Dance Ensemble, the “Mirvari” dance ensemble and students of Baku Choreography Academy, accompanied by a spectacular performance of Karabakh horses of the Azerbaijan Equestrian Federation and the “Natig” rhythm group. Also folk and composer songs of Azerbaijan and Turkey were performed at the event.
During the event, President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan was presented with a Karabakh horse “Zafar”, one of the oldest horse breeds, and a “Kharibulbul” composition. The “Kharibulbul” composition features two Kharibulbul flowers, considered the symbol of Karabakh, uniting and embodying the eternal friendship and brotherhood between Azerbaijan and Turkey.
The participants of the event organized in Shusha were also presented with a collection of publications of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation called “Cultural Heritage of Karabakh”. The collection includes separate publications in the fields of literature, music, architecture, folk art and carpet weaving.
https://en.president.az/articles/52119
Presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey had joint dinner in Shusha
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan have had a joint dinner in Shusha.
https://en.president.az/articles/52120
Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited Kalbadjar and Lachin districts
As reported earlier, on 16 August, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited Kalbadjar and Lachin districts.
President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva watched the charming view of Kalbadjar from Omar Pass.
President Ilham Aliyev: We are heading to Kalbadjar, to the liberated Kalbadjar.
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In a video recorded in a car on the way to Kalbadjar, President Ilham Aliyev says: Mehriban khanim is capturing the spectacular views of Kalbadjar as we admire the beautiful nature of Azerbaijan along the way. I am sure that this will be very interesting for those watching this footage. The forests of Kalbadjar are already visible. As we know, Kalbadjar has a very charming nature – mountains, valleys and forests.
Look at these ruins. The Armenians destroyed these places when leaving. They have destroyed all the buildings, hydroelectric power stations. These destructions are further evidence of Armenian savagery.
Armenians destroyed houses here. It is the territory of Zallar village.
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President Ilham Aliyev said: The road we are standing on is the Basarkechar-Kalbadjar road built by Armenians. They built a second path to connect Armenia with Karabakh – in addition to the Lachin corridor. So they built this road to conduct resettlement in Kalbadjar and other areas and facilitate their movement. This road goes directly to Basarkechar district. Basarkechar district is called Vardenis in Armenia, but the actual name of this district is Basarkechar, Goycha region, ancient Azerbaijani land. Basarkechar district was established in the territory of Armenia in 1930.
The absolute majority of those living there were Azerbaijanis. Residents of Zod village were also Azerbaijanis. They were deported from Armenia. Only in June 1969, Armenia renamed Basarkechar district to Vardenis. I ask that the name Basarkechar, not Vardenis, be restored to our general lexicon when reports are prepared from this region of Azerbaijan. All other ancient Azerbaijani settlements located in the territory of present-day Armenia should be called by their original names. For example, I have been following the media coverage of the tensions on the Nakhchivan-Armenia border. Our media write about what is happening in and around the Armenian village of Yeraskh. The name of this village is Arazdayan, and Azerbaijanis used to live there before deportation. Therefore, all ancient, i.e., historical names, must be restored. These names are also available in various books. Therefore, I request that both journalists and the general public use the original names of these places – not Vardenis but Basarkechar district, Basarkechar city.
We are using this road now. The Armenians also wanted to build a third road, a road to Jabrayil. I repeatedly expressed my views on this during the war. So they wanted to link Armenia with East Zangazur and Karabakh by three roads. The sole purpose of this was to pursue a policy of illegal resettlement, which is a war crime. Unfortunately, international organizations dealing with this issue, first of all, the OSCE Minsk Group, remained indifferent to it, did not criticize Armenia, did not try to deter it from doing so, but simply acted as observers. They even visited here, witnessed it and did not object to constructing a road to Jabrayil District. When this road was being built at the time, we expressed our objection. We raised our voice; we stated that that should not be allowed and that illegal activities cannot be carried out in Azerbaijan. But no one heard us. However, I have come here today. I am standing on this road. We will stand on this road forever. We will live in this region forever.
And these are beautiful mountains of Kalbadjar. There are mountains, rivers, forests on all sides – it is a paradise. And it will also become a paradise.
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President Ilham Aliyev: Gamishli village. We have created our energy infrastructure here. And these high-voltage power lines were installed recently.
The Armenians also built this asphalt road from Basarkechar. They built an alternative route to the Lachin corridor to go to Kalbadjar. And it is a fine road. We are using this road now. When this road was under construction, the Azerbaijani side expressed a strong protest. We were saying that this should not be allowed. That was a part of Armenians’ resettlement policy. But no one listened to us. As a result, we have come here and raised our flag. We drove the enemy out of our lands and are using this road now. Armenians have been deprived of this road. So this road can also be considered a military trophy.
They wanted to build a third road across Jabrayil. And it was also left unfinished. Their dreams remained unfulfilled.
These are our houses, the houses of the Azerbaijanis destroyed by the Armenians. For 30 years, the Armenians had only exploited our lands, plundered natural resources, destroyed and demolished houses. And then they dared to claim that this was Armenian land. There has never been Armenian land here, and there never will be. This is the land of Azerbaijan. We, the Azerbaijanis, the owners of these lands, have returned. We have driven the enemy out of our lands, crushed the enemy army and returned here by showing heroism and self-sacrifice.
We have arrived at the site of the “Kalbadjar-1” Hydroelectric Power Station.
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President Ilham Aliyev: Now we are heading for the Lachin district. Then we will go to Kalbadjar city. We are going to the Lachin district, where we will lay the foundation of an airport.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Is this a new road? Or was it here before?
President Ilham Aliyev: No, it was here before. Of course, the Kalbadjar-Lachin road will be reconstructed at the highest level. Both tunnels I have just laid the foundation of will make this road even more comfortable. This is a famous tunnel built in Soviet times. It is written here – the construction began in 1958, and the length is only 200 meters. The tunnels we will build are 11 kilometers and 5 kilometers long. This is what Azerbaijan is capable of today. And this is the only old road connecting Kalbadjar with Lachin. The tunnel already has lighting. When the Armenians were leaving Kalbadjar and Lachin, they attempted to blow up this tunnel. Notice how insidious these people were. Look at this section, they wanted to blow it up, but they failed. They were in a hurry to leave.
Beautiful sights of Azerbaijan. Kalbadjar and Lachin districts are among the most beautiful in terms of nature. No matter how much damage the Armenians caused to our nature, they could not destroy it.
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President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva laid a foundation stone for Lachin International Airport.
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President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva met with beekeepers and talked to them.
Beekeepers: Bee families have more than doubled in Azerbaijan.
President Ilham Aliyev: Our honey is also of very high quality. The Kalbadjar honey will probably be of better quality than others. Therefore, you should both supply the domestic market and export it. Is there anything to show?
Beekeeper: Yes, there is. I will now give you a bee hat.
President Ilham Aliyev: They know who we are, so they won’t touch us. Is this honey?
Beekeeper: Yes, this is honey, natural Kalbadjar honey. If you allowed me, I would like to present you with two of these as a gift.
President Ilham Aliyev: Two would be too many, no. One is enough. We will taste the Kalbadjar honey. Is this ready?
Beekeepers: Yes, it is ready. Here is one, and I will find the other in another box.
President Ilham Aliyev: No, one is enough. One is enough to taste.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: One is enough.
Beekeepers: It will sting you now.
President Ilham Aliyev: No, it won’t touch us; it knows who we are. Are there other beekeepers besides you?
Beekeepers: Yes, there are other beekeepers too. Five beekeepers have come here as part of a pilot project. Then other beekeepers came as well. Let me take out one more.
President Ilham Aliyev: No, that will do.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: There is a bee on top.
Beekeeper: This one is not fully sealed. I want to give you a fully sealed one.
President Ilham Aliyev: No, this is enough.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: There are bees there. I am recording.
President Ilham Aliyev: Let’s have a picture taken.
Thank you. I promised to all the IDPs that I would return them to their ancestral homeland.
Beekeepers: We believed that, because we believed in you, we believed in our people, we believed in our martyrs. Twenty percent of this year’s crop will be sent to the families of martyrs.
President Ilham Aliyev: Very good. You will probably expand your farm.
Beekeeper: Yes, we will expand it because not only Kalbadjar but all the liberated lands, in general, are an excellent feed base for beekeeping. Armenians had large farms here and were engaged in exports.
President Ilham Aliyev: Beekeeping developed in Kalbadjar even during the Soviet times.
Beekeepers: It was in the village in Soviet times. The Kalbadjar honey was well-known in the Soviet Union. Inshallah, we will return this fame to it.
President Ilham Aliyev: The Armenians have done many illegal things, destroyed and exploited our nature.
Beekeeper: Our ancestral roots are here. My father’s grave is here. Armenians have never lived in Kalbadjar.
President Ilham Aliyev: I know, never. But then they wanted to appropriate Kalbadjar and change its name. But then we also came, taught them a lesson and took back our lands.
Beekeepers: Thank you very much! Thank you!
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you!
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Thank you, good luck to you! Thank you very much!
President Ilham Aliyev: Say hello to your families.
Beekeepers: May Allah protect you for our people. Thank you!
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We are approaching the city of Kalbadjar. We will be in Kalbadjar in a few minutes.
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We are in the city of Kalbadjar, at the entrance to the city. These are the deeds of savage Armenians. Notice how the Armenians have completely destroyed the city. Savage Armenians have destroyed Kalbadjar, as well as other cities and villages of Azerbaijan. All buildings are ravaged. Armenians lived in some buildings illegally. When they were leaving, they set fire to those buildings and knocked them down. Times change, but the ugly face of Armenian fascism doesn’t. When they occupied these lands in the early 1990s, they destroyed our towns and villages. When we drove them out of here in 2020, they cut down trees, burned them and destroyed buildings.
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President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva then arrived in the city of Kalbadjar.
The head of state raised the state flag in Kalbadjar city and delivered remarks at the event.
Remarks by the President Ilham Aliyev:
– Our lands were liberated from occupation as a result of the military operation. The second Karabakh war will go down in history as our glorious Victory. As a result of the Victory, the Kalbadjar district was liberated from the occupiers together with Lachin and Aghdam districts. Armenia signed an act of capitulation on 10 November and undertook to return Kalbadjar, Lachin and Aghdam districts to Azerbaijan.
During the first days of the second Karabakh war, the northern part of Kalbadjar was liberated by Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces. There were fierce battles across Mount Murov and surrounding areas. We had martyrs. However, we took over strategic heights, which allowed us to control the transportation and communication infrastructure Armenians were using. So by taking over the strategic heights in the northern part of Kalbajar, we were able to substantially limit the movement of the Armenian armed forces in this direction. As a matter of fact, they were unable to use the Basarkechar-Kalbadjar road. It was a part of the military operation, the counter-offensive operation. We conducted the counter-offensive operation in several directions, and each direction was important. Because we were already liberating the occupied territories by breaking the line of defense in some directions, taking over strategic areas in other areas and almost paralyzed the actions of the Armenian army. In some areas, we simply conducted military maneuvering to prevent the redeployment of Armenian armed forces. Thus, a part of Kalbadjar, a small part of it, was liberated on the battlefield. However, most of the district was liberated after Armenia had signed the act of capitulation.
The liberation of Kalbadjar is a historic event. The occupation of Kalbadjar was a great tragedy for our people because, after the occupation of the Lachin and Shusha districts in May 1992, Kalbadjar was the next target for the Armenians. There is already a clear understanding of the occupation of Shusha and Lachin in Azerbaijan. Everyone knows that the occupation of Shusha and Lachin was the result of the betrayal by the PFPA-Musavat tandem. At that time, there was a power struggle.
The PFPA-Musavat duo was aspiring to take power and tried to seize power at any cost. Certain forces and traitors under their control practically handed Shusha over to the Armenians. There was practically no defense of Shusha. Certain armed groups stationed in Shusha left the city, and Shusha was surrendered to the Armenians. As a result, there was a power crisis in Azerbaijan, and the PFPA-Musavat duo took advantage of it to illegally oust the government, stage a military coup and come to power. The occupation of Shusha and Lachin is an act of betrayal on the part of the PFPA-Musavat duo. When the Kalbadjar district was occupied, the PFPA-Musavat duo had already achieved its sordid goals and was in power. They were in power for about a year. Kalbadjar was occupied in early April 1993, and the PFPA-Musavat duo, the PFPA-Musavat government, is to blame for that. Their treacherous and anti-national government paved the way for the occupation of Kalbadjar. Because they were in power almost from the spring and summer of 1992, and for the duration of one year, they were only engaged in looting, bribery, robbery, lawlessness and other dirty deeds.
Many are forgetting that now. The younger generation is unaware of this. That was a time of our national tragedy, a period of national humiliation. The PFPA-Musavat government was one of the most disgraceful governments in the world, perhaps the most disgraceful. The country was being lost, civil confrontation in the country was at its peak, the lands were under occupation, but they were only thinking of their interests. The anti-national elements that came to power isolated Azerbaijan from almost all international partners, foreign partners, made grave mistakes in foreign and domestic policy, committed crimes. The occupation of Kalbadjar is the outcome of the treacherous PFPA-Musavat government’s performance. After the occupation of Kalbadjar, a direct geographical link was established between Armenia and the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, and the occupation of other lands was inevitable.
The PFPA-Musavat government ignored army building. No reforms were carried out in the army. On the contrary, they used every opportunity at their disposal to weaken our army. The lands were under occupation, but they were bombing Gandja to protect their limping government. They took Azerbaijani soldiers as a prisoner. There are videos of that. Armenians committed genocide here, destroyed our cities. Look at the state of Kalbadjar and other cities now.
Meanwhile, they wanted to take Azerbaijani soldiers prisoner and strengthen their grip on power. When they realized that this was no longer possible, they fled into hiding. They committed desertion at the state level. The PFPA-Musavat government and its leaders are deserters, traitors, cowards, and this is the absolute truth.
Of course, when liberating our lands, we took steps to make sure that all our lands would be freed. It is no longer a secret that the proposals on the table during the negotiations did not meet our interests. I stated openly why I did not agree to the proposed option. What had been discussed for the past ten years – five districts were to be returned to Azerbaijan, while Kalbadjar and Lachin districts would have been returned to Azerbaijan after a referendum in the former Nagorno-Karabakh. Of course, we could not agree to that because a referendum was never an option. My policy was that, and I openly stated that all our lands must be liberated from the occupiers. Our territorial integrity must be fully restored because we do not need an incomplete resolution. That is why the Azerbaijani side did not agree to the proposals. But then it became clear that Armenia rejected them because Armenia’s goal was to keep these lands, all the occupied lands, under occupation forever.
The new information released now and the current situation in the liberated lands confirms that. Those who wanted to vacate the occupied lands would not have built 6-line defensive fortifications. It is now clear that their goal was to perpetuate the status quo, not to return an inch of the land to us and drag on the process. They did it for 30 years, relying on their foreign patrons, and they wanted to do it for another 30 years, for 300 years. They thought that this policy would bring them success. They thought that Azerbaijan would not liberate its lands through war. They thought that someone would stop us. They thought that their patrons would influence and put pressure on us. But they did not know that all the people of Azerbaijan lived with the dream of ending the occupation, expelling the enemy from our lands. And we returned to the land of our ancestors. We returned by crushing the Armenian army. We returned by crushing the head of Armenian fascism. We returned by punishing Armenian executioners. We returned by avenging the blood of our martyrs. We are back, we are here today, and we will be here forever!
I want to repeat that the second Karabakh war is our historic Victory. There has never been such a victory in the centuries-old history of Azerbaijan. There is already sufficient information about the war, and I do not want to belabor the subject. The course of the war is known to everyone. Our textbooks, research papers, articles and books should provide very detailed and extensive information about the war and the pre-war period. We can record this history the way it is, write it the way it is, so that future generations always know it, don’t forget it, including the Armenian savagery.
But while speaking of the second Karabakh war today, I want to pay attention to one issue. This war has also resulted in the complete destruction of Armenian mythology. For many years, for 30 years, the Armenians had been bragging about their “military victory”. The Armenians had invented several myths that they allegedly had an “invincible army” and that their army could allegedly hold on to these lands forever. We have blown this myth to smithereens. There is no Armenian army today. The Armenian army has been completely destroyed. The vast majority of weapons and ammunition of the Armenian army were destroyed or taken as spoils of war and are now on display in the Military Trophies Park. We have put an end to the mythology that portrayed the Armenian army as an “invincible army”.
The second myth was that Armenian soldiers were “brave” and could prevail in any war. We have dispelled this myth as well. Armenian soldiers are deserters and cowards. They have acknowledged themselves, and this has been proven that there were 10,000 deserters in the Armenian army during the war. There was not a single deserter in the Azerbaijani Army. So this myth was also blown to smithereens. Armenian soldiers are deserters.
Another myth was that the Azerbaijanis would not fight for their lands, that they had come to terms with this situation, and if the war had not started for about 30 years, it would not start in the future either. We have dispelled this myth too. We have shown that we had never intended to come to terms with this situation. I have said this many times. I said in all my speeches that we would never put up with this situation that we would liberate our lands from occupiers at any cost, and we did that. This mythology was also shattered.
Yet another myth was associated with their so-called “military commanders”. They were saying that there were prominent generals and commanders in Armenia capable of fulfilling any military task. We saw that their generals are thieves, sellers of soldier’s stew and traitors. Their commanders are also cowards and deserters. Khojaly executioners Kocharyan, Sargsyan and Ohanyan poked their nose into Karabakh during the war. They were there. But when they realized that the victorious Azerbaijani Army was heroically liberating our lands, they fled and hid. They should be asked why they ran. They were in Khankendi, all three of them. Why did you run away? Why did you go into hiding? I said this before, and I will repeat – take out that metal scrap of your chests, throw your medals in the trash. You are deserters and cowards. We have destroyed you. The former defense minister who played one of the critical roles in the Khojaly genocide barely escaped from Shusha at the last moment. They ran away like rabbits. We have destroyed them. We have destroyed their so-called “heroes”, their heroes of non-existent Artsakh. They will live forever with this mark. Deserters, traitors, executioners, and cowards – they can only wage war against unarmed civilians. When Khojaly was occupied, there was almost no force to resist them; there were only civilians. They were civilians living in these homes. The snow had not yet melted here in April, and most of them died here. They chased them from here in the direction of Gandja and ambushed them when they were crossing the Murov Mountain, the Omar Pass. They killed them – children, women, and the elderly. They were forced to cross the Omar Pass barefoot in the snow, covering dozens of kilometers. Many froze and died on the way. This is Armenian savagery. We have defeated the savages. We have saved the region from savages and fascists. No one should ever forget that.
Another Armenian myth was that Armenians allegedly have ancient history and culture and were surrounded by “savage Muslims” here. They claimed that Armenia was the center, the cradle or the last stronghold of culture in the Caucasus. Yet, this is what their culture is all about. These buildings, excavated graves and destroyed mosques are! This was done by Armenians, not an alien from another planet. This was not done during the first Karabakh war but deliberately after the war. Like barbarians, savages and vandals, they demolished the bricks and stones of houses one by one and built huts for themselves.
Even when they were about to leave after signing the act of capitulation, they asked us for time. The Russian leadership asked us to give them an extra ten days, as they could not collect their rags. They asked us to give them some time to come out. We showed humanism again. We gave time until 25 November. But what did they do at this time? They burned and destroyed houses that did not belong to them, the houses they lived illegally in. We can see those houses along the way. They cut down and burned the trees. This is Armenian savagery. Times change, but Armenian fascism does not and will not change.
No one should forget that. No one should believe the flattering words they say sometimes. Whoever wants to believe this should see this scene. They should see the destroyed Aghdam, Fuzuli, Shusha, Kalbadjar, Lachin, Zangilan, Gubadli, and Jabrayil. The actions of Armenian savages are apparent. However, their benefactors do not want to see it. But they must see, and they will! We will put it right before their eyes. We are now publishing books. I have given the instruction, and there will be presentations. There will be exhibitions in foreign countries. We will show it all. Those who do not want to see it will be forced to see it. They will see what Armenian fascism and Armenian savagery are.
During the occupation, Armenians also illegally looted our natural resources. Some foreign companies helped them in this work. These companies now have two options: either they will pay us compensation or go to international courts.
Legal proceedings have already been launched. We started that, invited well-known international law firms and lawsuits are being prepared now. Our gold deposits Soyudlu in Kalbajar, Vejnali in Zangilan and elsewhere, were exploited by foreign companies. Didn’t these companies know that this is Azerbaijani land? They did! But they ignored that. They will be held accountable now. We have said that if they don’t want us to embarrass them on a global scale, let them step up and reimburse the damages to us, pay compensation, and then they can live comfortably.
The Armenians have destroyed our forests. We have photos of “Azercosmos” – how much forest we had before the occupation and how much we have now. Armenians have destroyed about 60,000 hectares of trees and forests. They cut down and took away the trees. From what I heard, the parquet business was developing fast there. That is also looting. They will be held accountable for this looting too. They poisoned our rivers. Look at the condition of the Okhchuchay River? The Okhchuchay is a natural disaster, and it is a foreign company that did that. That company must and will be held accountable. The total damage is being calculated. Monitoring is now being conducted on all liberated lands, towns and villages, certification is underway, certificates of all houses are being prepared, the damage is being evaluated, and we will demand compensation for all the damage in international courts.
Natural resources have been looted and exploited, our rivers have been poisoned, our forests have been cut down, our houses have been destroyed, and our mosques have been demolished. Who did this? The Armenians did! They must be held accountable, and they will be.
Meanwhile, we have started large-scale restoration work, including Kalbajar and Lachin districts and the East Zangazur region. Some of this work has already been completed – a substation has started operating. I have got acquainted with the construction of a hydroelectric power plant. A groundbreaking ceremony of an international airport has been held in Lachin. We have laid the foundation of two tunnels. Other infrastructure projects are underway. At the same time, as a pilot project, we have invited residents of Kalbadjar and Lachin districts engaged in beekeeping and animal husbandry here, created conditions for them to start work, and this work has already begun.
At the same time, we are strengthening our state border in the direction of Kalbadjar and Lachin. This border was in Armenian hands for about 30 years. After the snow melted in May, we reached those borders, took our positions, settled in Zangazur and reinforced our positions there. This is our land. The opinions expressed in Armenia are entirely unfounded. We are on our land. Lake Garagol and other places are ours. We are here now. This area was in the Armenian hands for 30 years. If that border crossed the location they are referring to; they should have taken it. They should have stood there and said that it was their border. But what happened? As soon as we arrived and were stationed here, they said no, we were being stationed in the wrong place. We stand in the right place, we stand where we need to be, and we will stand wherever we consider necessary. Let no one forget that. That is why the entire border infrastructure and military units are being established by the Ministry of Defense and the Border Troops along the border – from Mount Murov all the way down to the Araz River, and we are strengthening these borders.
The construction of 700 kilometers of local roads is underway. I am not even talking about the main intercity roads because sufficient information has been provided about those projects. The construction of 700 kilometers of roads leading to our borders is underway, and about 80 percent of this work will be completed before the arrival of winter. In other words, the ground and gravel roads will allow us the opportunity to reinforce our positions in these areas – both for movement and from a military point of view. Of course, we are the ones who have a say on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border. This is natural, and we will continue to have a say. Some irrelevant opinions are sometimes voiced about this issue in certain foreign circles. There is no need for that. We are standing where we consider it necessary, and if anyone is annoyed by that, if anyone is enraged, let them go and drink water, as we say.
As you know, two new economic regions, or rather, 14 economic regions overall, were established by my order. Among them, establishing two economic regions – Karabakh and East Zangazur economic regions – was worthy of attention. I think this is the correct step. It is based on both history and the future as both Karabakh and Zangazur are our historical ancestral lands. The Karabakh economic region includes all the regions of the Karabakh region. The East Zangazur economic region covers the regions belonging to East Zangazur. West Zangazur is currently under Armenian control. But as a result of the construction of the Zangazur corridor, of course, we will use this corridor to return our citizens to their ancestral lands. There are such plans, and this is only natural because our citizens were deported from the territory of present-day Armenia – not only from Zangazur district but also from Goycha district, which borders here. So they have the right to go and live on their ancestral land. We are keeping that for the next stage.
At the current stage, our main task is to consolidate the outcomes of the war, reinforce our positions in the liberated lands, and strengthen our positions on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border further. Reconstruction and restoration work has already begun, and this is one of the priority tasks. The gradual return of former IDPs to the liberated lands is also on the agenda. I have already said that the first group of former IDPs will be settled in Zangilan in a few months. At the same time, pilot villages have been selected in Aghdam, Jabrayil, Fuzuli and Khojavand districts. Work is already underway to start the restoration of those villages and return our citizens there. The master plan of Aghdam city has been approved. The master plans of other cities are expected to be approved in the coming months.
So we will identify our further goals correctly and achieve these goals. We are here today, in Kalbadjar, one of the most beautiful corners of Azerbaijan, and we will live here forever. Long live Azerbaijan! Long live the people of Azerbaijan!
https://en.president.az/articles/52742
DCIM100MEDIADJI_0078.JPG 
Ilham Aliyev viewed completion of work at Ahmadbayli-Fuzuli-Shusha Victory road
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has viewed the completion of work at Ahmadbayli-Fuzuli-Shusha Victory road.
The two and three lane road is 101km in length. Underpasses and bridges were built on the road.
https://en.president.az/articles/52872
Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva viewed works done at Fuzuli International Airport
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have viewed the construction progress at Fuzuli International Airport.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva shared video footages of Fuzuli International Airport. The post says: “Our next visit to the liberated territories. On the way to Shusha.”
In the video footage taken in the car, President Ilham Aliyev says: “We are approaching Fuzuli International Airport. On the left is the airport terminal and the runway is in front of us. In a matter of a few months, the airport is almost ready to open. The construction of the airport began this year. I said that Fuzuli International Airport would be opened this year. Perhaps no airport in the world has been built at this rapid pace. The runway is ready. Final finishing work is currently under way here. I would like to note again that I laid the foundation of the airport this year, and now we are here to get acquainted with the progress of construction. This airport is the air gate of Karabakh.”
https://en.president.az/articles/52873
Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva attended inauguration of “Qarabag” hotel in Shusha
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have attended the opening of newly-reconstructed “Qarabag” hotel in the city of Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan.
The hotel, built in 1980, ceased operations in May 1992 as a result of the occupation of Shusha. After the liberation of Shusha from the Armenian occupation, thanks to the glorious triumph of the victorious Azerbaijani Army, on President Ilham Aliyev’s instructions, the restoration and reconstruction work started in the hotel.
https://en.president.az/articles/52874
Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban acquainted themselves with the restoration works underway in an administrative building of the Special Representative Office in Shusha
The restoration works in an administrative building of the Special Representative Office in Shusha are underway.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva acquainted themselves with the restoration works in the building.
https://en.president.az/articles/52878
