Advice for Swiss parliamentarians Mind your cantons!

Four years ago, significant events unfolded that influenced the course and outcome of the 44-day war. On October 17, 2020, in a video address to the nation, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced the liberation of the city of Fuzuli, along with the villages of Gochahmadli, Chiman, Juvarli, Pirahmadli, Musabayli, Ishiqli, and Dadali in the Fuzuli District.

News anchors on local television channels delivered this announcement from the president with evident emotion. The residents of Fuzuli, named after the esteemed Azerbaijani poet Muhammad Fuzuli, felt particularly elated that day, as the city had been under Armenian occupation since 1993. It took 27 years to restore international law and historical justice in this region.

It is important to remember that Fuzuli, which had a population of over 17,000 before the First Karabakh War initiated by Armenia, became a "ghost town." The city mosque was desecrated, and the cemetery was destroyed. These facts are crucial for those who currently echo Armenian propaganda and disseminate simplistic falsehoods about "Azerbaijan's crimes" on Azerbaijani territory. By the end of the Armenian occupation, not a single Azerbaijani remained in Fuzuli.

Furthermore, the name of this Azerbaijani city was distorted, being "renamed" to "Varanda." This was far from the only crime committed by the Armenian side. On the night of October 16 to 17, 2020, the fifth missile strike targeted residential areas in Ganja. At the same time, the city of Mingachevir also came under missile fire, with the attacks launched from Armenian territory.

Hikmet Hajiyev, an assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and a native of Ganja, reported that 20 houses were destroyed during the attack. Later, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed that 13 people were killed and 53 civilians injured in the Ganja shelling. According to the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA), fragments recovered from the missile impact site indicated the use of ballistic missiles from the operational-tactical missile system "Elbrus."

This incident represents yet another cynical and brutal crime against the civilian population of Azerbaijan, for which Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan bears personal responsibility. Despite his current attempts to portray himself as a "peace dove," it was under his orders that the city of Ganja faced five missile attacks during the 44-day war, resulting in the deaths of 26 people and injuries to 175 others. Significant damage was also inflicted on vehicles and civilian infrastructure in the city.

Overall, during the war that began on September 27, 2020, and lasted for 44 days, 93 Azerbaijani civilians were killed (including 54 men, 27 women, and 12 children), and 444 people were injured (including 268 men, 109 women, and 67 children). These are crimes committed by Armenia, for which it has yet to face any consequences. This reminder is particularly pertinent given the shocking and cynical campaign currently gaining traction globally. This campaign seeks to shift the blame for all heinous crimes from the occupying country to the victim of occupation.

The Swiss Parliament has "called on the government to organize an international peace conference on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict." Seriously? Is there really a conflict? Does the Swiss Parliament not recognize that there is no "Nagorno-Karabakh," but rather the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan?

Are they unaware that the official government of Yerevan has repeatedly stated its recognition of Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity, including Karabakh? If this is the case, then Swiss parliamentarians might consider a career as tour guides in their country’s mountains. In any event, they should explore other roles, as they clearly are not suited to be mentors or mediators.

Consider this: the proposed aim of the conference to be held in Switzerland is "to facilitate dialogue between representatives of Azerbaijan and the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh regarding the safe and collective return of the Armenian population under the supervision or presence of international entities." One could aptly use the saying: "Don't tell me what to do, and I won't tell you where to go."

It is clear that Armenians lived illegally in the temporarily occupied territories of Azerbaijan, holding passports from the occupying country of Armenia. It is also evident that Azerbaijan repeatedly proposed peaceful solutions to the conflict prior to the 44-day war, offering the highest level of autonomy for Armenians living illegally on its formerly occupied lands. Official Baku made every effort to avoid escalation into war.

However, it was the Armenian side that rejected all the peace initiatives. Armenians living illegally on its territory refused to respect the laws of Azerbaijan while arming themselves and engaging in hostilities against us. Every Azerbaijani who lost their life during the 44-day war and in the subsequent one-day anti-terrorist operation did so on their own land, not on Armenian soil.

Swiss parliamentarians seem reluctant to recall that no sanctions have been imposed against Armenia for its crimes, including the occupation of Fuzuli, which was transformed into a "ghost town," and the shelling of peaceful Azerbaijani cities during the 44-day war. This situation clearly indicates the inappropriateness of anyone attempting to portray themselves as a "mediator" after Azerbaijan has restored its sovereignty and territorial integrity, effectively archiving the Karabakh conflict with Armenia in history.

How to proceed with the reconstruction of the liberated territories and the establishment of relations with official Yerevan will be determined by Azerbaijan alone. Therefore, it would be prudent for Swiss parliamentarians to focus on their own cantons; they may be more effective in that regard.