Azerbaijan recounts Patriotic War, calls for global support in peace process

Ahead of Remembrance Day on September 27, the heads of the Milli Majlis interparliamentary relations working groups and the leaders of Azerbaijani delegations to international parliamentary organisations have sent an appeal to their colleagues in the parliaments of various countries.

The appeal, cited by local media, highlights that in the early 1990s, Armenia’s aggressive actions led to the occupation of 20 per cent of Azerbaijan’s territory and were accompanied by acts of ethnic cleansing and genocide against Azerbaijanis.

It recalls that on September 27, 2020, following another major attack by Armenian armed forces, Azerbaijan launched a counter-offensive operation under the right to self-defence enshrined in the UN Charter. 

The operation, known as the 44-day Patriotic War and led by President Ilham Aliyev, who is also the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, successfully ended the nearly 30-year occupation of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognised territories and restored the country’s territorial integrity.

The appeal draws particular attention to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Armenian forces during the hostilities. It stresses that the Azerbaijani Army strictly adhered to international humanitarian law, targeting only military objectives and facilities while avoiding harm to civilians and civilian settlements.

The document also notes that local anti-terrorist operations conducted on September 19-20, 2023, in Karabakh led to the elimination of the separatist regime, the disarmament of illegal armed groups, and the restoration of constitutional order. Former internally displaced persons are now returning to their native lands, where reconstruction and settlement restoration efforts are actively underway. At the same time, the ongoing threat posed by landmines in Azerbaijan, which continues to endanger lives, is highlighted.

The appeal underscores that Azerbaijan has consistently promoted a peace agenda, presenting five fundamental principles based on international law, offering a draft peace treaty, and making serious efforts to advance dialogue in recent years.

It notes that on August 8, 2025, in Washington, with the participation of the leaders of the United States, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia initialled the text of the peace treaty. On the same day, the President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia signed a Joint Statement, opening real prospects for a final resolution to the conflict.

By Tamilla Hasanova