Creation and the “Iron Fist”: Azerbaijan’s post-war development model Review by Teymur Atayev

During his visit to the Jabrayil and Zangilan districts, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, voiced a number of fundamentally important theses. One of the most significant was his statement made during a meeting with residents who had returned to the village of Shukurbeyli in the Jabrayil district: the Azerbaijani people are simultaneously a nation of creators and a nation of warriors.

This inevitably evoked associations with the Head of State’s remarks delivered in 2025 during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. At that time, noting that the Azerbaijani people had “won, both in war and in peace,” President Aliyev emphasised that Baku had immediately launched reconstruction work following the elimination of the occupation.

In other words, the semantic resonance of the President’s speech in New York, in the context of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda, was broad in scope. It encompassed both Baku’s efforts to shape a regional pathway towards lasting peace and the large-scale development of Azerbaijani territories liberated from occupation.

We were once again able to observe this while following the Head of State’s visit to the Jabrayil and Zangilan districts.

There is no doubt that one cannot help but admire the creation of all the conditions for life, work, and education in the village of Shukurbeyli in the Jabrayil district, where well-equipped houses, a school, a music institution, kindergartens, and other social facilities have been built.

In turn, in the village of Soltanly in the Jabrayil district, the “Shafag” substation was inaugurated, along with the first industrial-scale solar power plant in the liberated territories. As the Head of State noted, this is the largest project with direct foreign investment, and the facility’s personnel have been recruited predominantly from among the recently returned local residents.

Meanwhile, in Zangilan, the first residential complex comprising 104 apartments was commissioned. During a meeting with families who received the keys to their new homes, the Head of State described the opening of the complex on the birthday of the National Leader, Heydar Aliyev, as symbolic, recalling that his greatest dream was the liberation of our native lands from occupation.

Here, of course, it is impossible not to recall how, as far back as 1994, Heydar Aliyev expressed his firm confidence that “the lands of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenian armed forces and Armenia will be liberated, and conditions will be created for the return of refugees to their native lands. They will return to their homes.”

As the saying goes, said and done. In this context, the President of the country, Ilham Aliyev, emphasised that “We—his successors—have fulfilled his testament. Today, every inch of land within the territory of Azerbaijan belongs to the Azerbaijani people.”

The Head of State particularly highlighted the indisputable role of Heydar Aliyev in Azerbaijan’s history. It was precisely thanks to his activities after returning to power in 1993 that the country’s statehood—then under threat of collapse—was preserved, stability was strengthened, and development began, including the building of the army.

It is precisely within the continuation of the policy of the National Leader, President Aliyev stressed, that we are today in Zangilan. Azerbaijan expelled the enemy from its lands after first building a strong economy and army, strengthening the patriotic spirit in society, and breaking free from international isolation.

In this context, the statement made by the Head of State in his address on the occasion of the 103rd anniversary of Heydar Aliyev’s birth appears particularly significant. President Ilham Aliyev expressed confidence that, had the National Leader seen today’s Azerbaijan, he would have been happy. As the Head of State noted, “I am certain that his soul is at peace, for today’s Azerbaijan is his masterpiece.”

This was made possible, as President Aliyev emphasised during his meeting with residents of Zangilan, through the unification of the Azerbaijani people into a single “iron fist,” which enabled the country, during the 44-day Patriotic War, to firmly withstand nuclear powers — permanent members of the UN Security Council — that sought to preserve the occupation. Therefore, our bright history “is our source of pride, and it will remain so eternally.”

The President described what has taken place as a triumph of justice. Despite Armenia’s plans to completely erase the heritage of the Azerbaijani people in the occupied territories and turn them into ruins, the country’s citizens not only reclaimed these lands but also revived them. As a result, today in the Jabrayil district, where several thousand people are already living, the “Araz Valley Economic Zone” industrial park is operational. This, together with a four-lane highway as part of the Zangezur Corridor, creates prospects for Jabrayil to become an important link in an international transport route.

Similarly, Zangilan is also being transformed into one of the international transport hubs, which, after the opening of the Zangezur Corridor, will strengthen its position as an important link in the East–West and North–South transport routes.

However, President Ilham Aliyev made an important clarification: as long as political forces exist within Armenian society that are driven by a sense of hostility towards Azerbaijan, vigilance must be maintained.

At the same time, stressing that at the current historical stage we are living in conditions of peace — a peace of which we are the authors ourselves — the Head of State delivered an important message to all interested parties. Referring to the presence of so-called European observers on the territory of Armenia, the President of Azerbaijan warned: “There is no need to protect Armenia from us. We have achieved what we set out to achieve.”

If no provocative actions are taken against Azerbaijan, Baku will not undertake any steps. However, according to the Head of State, “it is the Armenian people who will suffer” if political forces come to power in the neighbouring country that are driven by hostility towards the Azerbaijani people.

In the context of the above, it appears relevant to once again refer to the speech of the President of Azerbaijan at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Emphasising that Azerbaijan has put an end to the occupation and embarked on reconstruction efforts, the Head of State declared readiness to share this positive experience. According to him, the achievements of recent years are not only a victory and success for Azerbaijan, but also evidence that international law ultimately prevails.

In this context, it is symbolic that on the very day marking the 103rd anniversary of the birth of the National Leader, Heydar Aliyev, the international cycling race “Baku–Khankendi” was launched, classified as a 2.1 event by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).

The live broadcast of the first stage, as well as the entire race, is being provided by the major sports channel Eurosport 1, known for covering the world’s most significant sporting events.

Given how vividly the first stage of the Baku–Sumgayit route showcased the beauty of Azerbaijan, there is no doubt what impression the final stage — passing through the country’s liberated territories — will make on a global audience of millions. And those hostile to Azerbaijan will be left deeply frustrated.