Azerbaijan marks five years since liberation of Lachin district

Azerbaijan today commemorates the fifth anniversary of the liberation of the Lachin district from Armenian occupation, a decisive milestone achieved following the 44-day Patriotic War of 2020.

According to the trilateral statement signed on November 10, 2020, by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, the Lachin district was returned to Azerbaijan on December 1.

Lachin had been occupied on May 18, 1992, during the First Karabakh War.

The path to the liberation of Lachin began in the autumn of 2020. On September 27 of that year, the Azerbaijani Army, having prevented a provocation by Armenia’s armed forces, launched a counteroffensive and, within 44 days, liberated 5 cities, 4 settlements, and 286 villages from occupation.

The city of Jabrayil and 90 villages of the district; the city of Fuzuli and 53 villages of the district; the city of Zangilan, the settlements of Minjivan, Aghband, Bartaz, and 52 villages of the district; the settlement of Hadrut and 35 villages of the Khojavand district; 3 villages of the Tartar district; the city of Gubadli and 41 villages of the district; 9 villages of the Khojaly district; the city of Shusha; 3 villages of the Lachin district; as well as a number of strategic heights in the Aghdara and Murovdag directions, the Bartaz, Sighirt, and Shukurataz heights, and another 5 unnamed heights in Zangilan were cleared of the enemy.

The Patriotic War concluded with a brilliant victory for the Azerbaijani Army, and in the cities, villages, and settlements liberated from the occupiers, our glorious tricolour flag was raised.

By the decree of President Ilham Aliyev, signed on July 31, 2023, 26 August was declared Lachin Day.

Lachin district, one of the most picturesque corners of Azerbaijan, is located in the south-western part of the republic, in the Lesser Caucasus. To the north, the district borders Kalbajar; to the south, Gubadli; to the east, the districts of Khojaly, Shusha, and Khojavand; and to the west, Armenia. The distance from the district centre of Lachin to Baku is 450 km, and 60 kilometres from the town lies the Khankendi railway station. The district comprises a town, one settlement, and 125 villages.

Lachin district, with a total area of 1,835 square kilometres, contains 72,000 hectares of pastureland and 34,000 hectares of dense forest. The district is situated in a mountainous area, with its highest point being Mount Gizilbogaz (3,594 metres above sea level). The Shalva and Minkand rivers flow through the district, merging and joining the Hakari River (113 km in length), which originates within the district.