Azerbaijan will never forget Israel’s support Ambassador Mammadov’s article in The Jerusalem Post

Victory Day in Azerbaijan, recently celebrated, holds significance far beyond a national holiday. As Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Israel, Mukhtar Mammadov, highlighted in an article for The Jerusalem Post, the day serves as a powerful symbol of national pride, moral duty, and the preservation of historical memory. Caliber.Az republishes the article in full:

Azerbaijan’s Victory Day, celebrated last Saturday, is not just a national holiday – it is a day of pride, moral duty, and historical remembrance. It is the day that every Azerbaijani citizen had awaited for three decades; the day when Karabakh and all the territories occupied as a result of nearly 30 years of Armenian control were liberated, allowing us to recover, rebuild, and reunite as a nation.

Still, the road to that day was long and difficult. For many years, Azerbaijan stood almost entirely alone, with little support from the international community, which avoided taking a clear stance or exerting real pressure on Armenia to withdraw from the occupied territories. The international mechanisms meant to help resolve the conflict failed to bring about genuine change, serving instead to perpetuate the status quo, a situation Azerbaijan could no longer accept.

Damage from the Armenian occupation

Throughout the years, Azerbaijan gave real opportunities for negotiation. As the president said: “We did not want war – we wanted peace.” Still, our patience could not last forever. The long Armenian occupation of Karabakh caused enormous damage to Azerbaijan: human, social, and cultural. One million citizens became refugees or internally displaced persons (IDPs). Nearly all the settlements they once lived in were destroyed, mosques were demolished, and cemeteries desecrated.

Close to 30,000 civilians and soldiers were killed during those years. Our citizens suffered constant sniper fire, and life along the Armenian border and the line of contact that existed throughout the occupation became unbearable.

We expected the international community to pressure Armenia to withdraw from the territories it had seized. When it became clear that diplomatic efforts were leading nowhere, Azerbaijan was compelled to act on its own to liberate its lands.

However, we fully understood that a nation cannot achieve its goals – especially when it suffers under occupation – if it remains weak in every sense. The Azerbaijan of today is vastly different from that of the early 1990s. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the country faced immense difficulties.

Azerbaijan's modern success

Yet under determined leadership and consistent policy, Azerbaijan succeeded in building a modern army, stable governing institutions, and a dynamic economy. The state invested in developing international partnerships, learning from the experience of strong nations in the fields of defense, science, and healthcare – including the State of Israel.

Over the years, one central goal united the entire nation – the liberation of our lands and the return of hundreds of thousands of refugees to their homes. Indeed, this unity between the government, society, and citizens formed the foundation for the success in restoring our territorial integrity. It is a unique achievement in modern history, a break from global paradigms about territorial conflicts, and a testament to a profound process of building a modern state with confidence and self-pride.

Five years after the victory, we can see the fruits of this achievement: de facto peace on the ground, Azerbaijan’s removal of restrictions on the movement of goods to Armenia, and the first direct flight from Baku to Yerevan – all tangible symbols of normalization.

The peace initiative led by Azerbaijan after the 2020 war, culminating in the summit convened in Washington by President Donald Trump with the participation of President Ilham Aliyev and the Armenian prime minister, who signed a joint agreement, demonstrates that the path to peace can only be achieved through strength and without compromising national dignity.

There were a few close friends and partners who stood by our side during those difficult years; Israel was one of them, and Azerbaijan will never forget it. Thanks to the recognition it receives from its international partners, Azerbaijan is becoming an important player on the regional and global stage, and a bridge for cooperation, peace, and regional development.

Today, as the country looks ahead, Azerbaijan strives not only to preserve its achievements but also to make responsible use of its unique regional position to contribute to peace and prosperity on the international stage, including in the Middle East.