Four years pass since Armenia signs act of capitulation with Azerbaijan

Today is the fourth anniversary of the signing of the capitulation act by Armenia, which brought an end to the second Karabakh war with Azerbaijan.

The act of capitulation was signed by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Caliber.Az reports.

On September 27, 2020, the Azerbaijani army, under the leadership of victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, launched counteroffensive operations in response to Armenia's military provocations. These operations led to the liberation of the Azerbaijani lands, which had been under Armenian occupation for nearly 30 years. The enemy, which had invaded the ancient lands of Azerbaijan and brutally expelled the Azerbaijani people living there, was defeated on the battlefield. The surviving militants were driven out of the Azerbaijani territories.

The Azerbaijani army liberated the Azerbaijani lands inch by inch, driving out the occupiers and capturing enemy’s equipment and munitions as military trophies. The heroism and bravery demonstrated by the Azerbaijani army on the battlefield crushed the enemy. During the second Karabakh war, the number of deserters in the Armenian army reached tens of thousands. The rapid liberation of several settlements by the Azerbaijani forces on the first day of the escalation sparked panic and fear among the Armenian soldiers. 

During 44 days, 5 cities, 4 settlements, and 286 villages, namely, Jabrayil city and 90 villages in the district; Fuzuli city and 53 villages in the district;  Zangilan city, Minjivan, Aghband, and Bartaz settlements, and 52 villages in the district; Hadrut settlement and 35 villages in Khojavend district; 3 villages in Tartar district; Gubadli city and 41 villages in the district; 9 villages in Khojaly district; Shusha city; several villages in Lachin district; as well as heights in the directions of Aghdere and Murovdag, including Bartaz, Sighirt, Shukurataz, and five other unnamed peaks, were liberated.

The liberation of Shusha city by the Azerbaijani army on November 8 decisively determined the outcome of the war. The Armenian military and political leadership was forced to sign a ceasefire agreement, which was, in effect, an act of capitulation. This was a crushing victory for the Azerbaijani army, led by Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev. On November 10, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a statement declaring the complete cessation of hostilities and all military actions in the conflict zone. 

This effectively ended the long-running Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. According to the statement, the Aghdam, Kalbajar, and Lachin districts were returned to Azerbaijan without resistance. Initially, it was planned that the statement would be signed by the leaders of the three countries through a videoconference. However, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan later refused to sign the trilateral statement in front of the international community. Instead, he secretly signed the act of capitulation in private, away from the public eye. In doing so, Azerbaijan achieved a complete victory, both on the battlefield and in the political arena. However, Armenia failed to fulfill its commitments under the signed agreement. 

The trilateral statement dated November 10, 2020, clearly stipulated that Armenia was to withdraw its forces from Karabakh simultaneously with the deployment of Russian peacekeepers. For almost three years, Armenia continued supporting illegal military formations on Azerbaijan's sovereign territory. Illegal Armenian armed groups in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan systematically shelled Azerbaijani army positions with weapons of various calibers, mined the Azerbaijani territories, and carried out various acts of sabotage.  

The local counterterrorism operations were launched on September 19, 2023 to uphold the provisions of the trilateral statement, prevent large-scale provocations carried out in the Karabakh economic region, disarm and remove Armenian armed forces from the Azerbaijani territory, neutralise their military infrastructure, facilitate the return of the civilians to the liberated areas, ensure the safety of civilian specialists and military personnel involved in reconstruction work, and restore the constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the region. 

As a result, in less than 24 hours, by using precision-guided weapons, the Azerbaijani forces neutralised frontline and deep positions, as well as fortified firing points of the Armenian armed forces, along with their combat equipment and military infrastructure. 

The separatist units fled, abandoning their combat positions, weapons, and ammunition. Soon after, the illegal armed groups in Karabakh and the separatist regime raised a white flag and surrendered, promising to comply with all of Azerbaijan's conditions. 

On October 15, the president visited  Khankendi city, as well as the Khojavend, Shusha, Khojaly, and Aghdere districts. He also toured the Askeran Fortress. Today, the Azerbaijani flag flies across the entire territory of the country.

By Naila Huseynova