President Aliyev recalls his promise to hoist state flag all over Azerbaijan “This day has come”

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attended the parade of the Azerbaijan Armed Forces in Karabakh on November 8 – the Victory Day anniversary, making a historic speech.

“Three years ago, the city of Shusha, the crown jewel of Karabakh, was liberated from the occupiers. A day later, the enemy army surrendered and waved the white flag. Thus, the Second Karabakh War resulted in a complete victory for the Azerbaijani state. This is a historic event,” President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in a speech at a military parade held in the city of Khankendi on the occasion of November 8 - Victory Day, Azertag reports.

“For many years during the occupation, the people of Azerbaijan worked hard for our lands to be freed from the invaders as soon as possible. We brought this holy day closer every day and every hour with our hard work,” President Aliyev underlined.

Recalling the promise he made during his swearing-in ceremony in 2003, the president said: “Twenty years ago, both in the run-up to the election and during my swearing-in ceremony, I promised to my people that the day would come when we would raise the State Flag of Azerbaijan in every corner of the occupied lands,” the president said.

“I remember saying five years ago, during the military parade held in the Azadlig Square in Baku in September 2018, that the day would come when the Azerbaijani flag would fly over all our lands that were still under occupation, and this day has come,” the head of state emphasized.

Moreover, expressing his pride for the glorious Azerbaijani Army, the head of state noted: “Our victorious Armed Forces who gifted us this day [Victory Day] showed courage, heroism and selflessness on the battlefield and expelled the enemy from our ancestral lands. This is a historic event,” he noted.

Pointing out that there were no such bright victories in the centuries-old history of the Azerbaijani people, the head of state said: “The Shusha operation and indeed all other military operations we carried out in 44 days, the bravery of our soldiers are an epic of heroism.”

Meanwhile, speaking about the Shusha operation during the Patriotic War, the president said the sons of Azerbaijan had shown selflessness during this operation.

“The Shusha operation, of course, has a special place in the 44-day Patriotic War. Because liberating Shusha, which is considered an impregnable fortress located in a very difficult geographical terrain, with only light weapons and in many cases in hand-to-hand combat, required great strength, professionalism and dedication. The sons of Azerbaijan showed exactly that,” President Aliyev added.

Touching upon the mediators’ role in the settlement of the conflict, President Aliyev said: “The mediators who were involved in resolving the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict actually tried to freeze the situation. They believed that the people of Azerbaijan would come to terms with this situation. However, the people of Azerbaijan were never going to accept this situation. I have stated many times from different platforms that we will not accept this situation, we will not allow for a second Armenian state to be created on Azerbaijani lands, and if the negotiations end without results, we will use force to liberate our native lands from the invaders on the battlefield on the basis of international law.”

“If the Armenian leadership and certain foreign forces standing behind it back then and today had listened to my words, there would have been no need for the Second Karabakh War. I have repeatedly told the leadership of Armenia that if you do not vacate our lands, you will face us on the battlefield. Whoever stands behind you, it cannot turn us away from our just cause. The 44-day Patriotic War showed this once again.”

In addition, President Aliyev spoke about stopping the war following the liberation of Shusha, saying” “After the Shusha Victory, the enemy was practically ready to capitulate and signed the act of capitulation the following day. And we stopped the war.”

“At that time, our Armed Forces were just a step away from Khankendi. Stopping the war at that time was our conscious choice. The fact that we are holding the military parade here today, in the central square of the city of Khankendi, once again shows how correct and wise that decision was,” the head of state added.

Continuing his speech, the president noted: “At that time [November 10, 2020], I had no doubt that the day would come when the Azerbaijani flag would be raised here, in the city of Khankendi. The cessation of the 44-day war on November 10, 2020, allowed us the opportunity to return Aghdam, Kalbajar and Lachin districts to us without firing a single shot.” 

Emphasizing that this was a part of the act of capitulation signed by Armenia and also Azerbaijan’s demand, the head of state said that Armenia was forced to fulfil this demand because they saw the strength of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan on the battlefield and the political determination of the leadership of Azerbaijan.

“The Liberation of Aghdam, Lachin and Kalbajar districts without a single shot being fired saved the lives of thousands of our young people. We would have liberated those districts on the battlefield anyway. However, the number of our martyrs could have been higher,” President Ilham Aliyev pointed out.

 “After the Second Karabakh War, we further accelerated the process of army building without stopping for a single day and did not conceal that,” President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in a speech at a military parade held in the city of Khankendi on the occasion of November 8 - Victory Day.

“We immediately moved to all the important locations in the Karabakh region. At the same time, we took control of the Azerbaijan-Armenia border, which was under occupation for many years,” the head of state said, noting that Azerbaijan had gradually improved its positions on the border and, as a result of various measures, has the most favourable positions on most of the Azerbaijan-Armenia border. “We knew that revanchist forces were raising their head again in Armenia. We knew that the foreign forces standing behind Armenia and inciting them to act against us would give them provocative signals again. Therefore, we had to protect our border, and as a result of several military operations, the situation on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border is under our control today," the president of Azerbaijan added.

During his speech, the head of state also said: “The military operations conducted during the last three years, including the Farrukh operation, the Saribaba-Girkhgiz operation and other military operations, have greatly improved our strategic positions."

“These operations were also a message sent to Armenia that nobody and nothing could stop us, that Karabakh is the land of Azerbaijan, that we are the ones dictating the situation here, and that they should immediately withdraw their armed forces from our lands. If they had listened to my words at that time, there would have been no need for the anti-terror measures in September. They only have themselves to blame for all their troubles. Their troubles did not start only three years ago. They started at the beginning of the 1990s,” the president added.

“After the Shusha operation on November 8, the back of the enemy army was broken and a day later, they signed the act of capitulation. On April 23 of this year, we fully restored our territorial integrity by taking control of the Azerbaijan-Armenia border in the direction of Lachin and on September 20, we fully restored our state sovereignty,” President Aliyev noted.

Saying that the book of the separatists was now closed, the head of state said: “There will be no room for separatism in Azerbaijan anymore. The state of Azerbaijan controls its entire territory today, and this has been achieved by our brave men standing on this square today and by tens of thousands of Azerbaijani soldiers. We have achieved this Victory at the cost of their blood and lives.”

“We have been moving towards this day for 20 years. Preparations were underway, Azerbaijan's position at the level of international law was being strengthened. As a result of our successful activity at the political level, the whole world already began to realize that we are the right side. The reforms we carried out in the economic field allowed us the opportunity to build an independent economy, not to depend on anyone and to build our own life. Strong political resolve made it possible to conduct an independent foreign policy, pursue a domestic policy and not allow anyone to interfere in our own affairs,” President Aliyev said.

The head of state pointed out that army building was certainly considered the top priority and said that the main factors leading Azerbaijan to Victory were the material and technical provision, the supply of weapons and ammunition, the improvement of the army’s fighting capacity and, above all, the education of youth in the spirit of patriotism.

“No matter how many weapons and ammunition you may have, no matter how many modern military technologies you may use, it is soldiers and officers who achieve victory with their weapons. They put their chest forward, they are ready to die, and we have shown that. In the most difficult and unfavourable geographical conditions, Azerbaijani soldiers and officers showed unparalleled heroism and bravery by breaking through six lines of defence, passing over more than a million land mines and destroying the enemy positions located on the hills,” he said.

“The memory of our dear martyrs will live in our hearts forever. We showed the whole world the strength, determination and indomitable spirit of the Azerbaijani people. In other words, we were waiting for this day while making preparations. During these 20 years, I never doubted that this day would come and a military parade under the Azerbaijani flag would be held in the city of Khankendi,” the head of state underlined.

“By shedding blood on the battlefield and giving martyrs, we showed to them that Karabakh is Azerbaijan. Today everyone should know that no one can joke with us. If the Armenian leadership cherishes some revanchist sentiments, if the countries that are used to manipulations behind Armenia still prepare some insidious plans against Azerbaijan, let them take a look at today's parade. Let them know that more than a thousand of our brave men are lined up here, and we have more than 100,000 brave men like them. No force can threaten us. We are ready to fight on any level, we have shown this on the political and, if necessary, on the military front,” he continued. 

Hailing the high professionalism and dedication of the Azerbaijan Army, the president said: “In the 21st century, no army has shown as much professionalism and dedication as ours. No nation has loved its native land as much as ours and was ready to die for it. We all know this well, so let the world know it too,” the Azerbaijani president noted.

“We don't need a new war. We have achieved what we wanted, we have restored international law, we have restored historical justice, we have restored our national dignity, and we have shown the enemy where it belongs. The enemy has knelt before us, and today I am here addressing the Victorious Armed Forces,” President Aliyev said.

“We have fulfilled all the tasks, but at the same time, from now on, the army building will be one of the priority issues for us. Let everyone know this and let no one forget it,” the president of Azerbaijan emphasized.

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The President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev spoke at a parade in the city of Khankendi on November 8.

Khankendi hosted a solemn military parade dedicated to the third anniversary of the Victory in the Patriotic War of 2020, according to Caliber.Az.

President Aliyev and his family members attended the parade after which they met with the top brass and personnel of the Azerbaijan army.

The text of the president's speech will be published soon.

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A military parade dedicated to the third anniversary of the Victory in the Patriotic War was held in Khankendi on 8 November.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their son Heydar Aliyev took part in the parade, Azertag reports.