President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief, diplomat, strategist Foreign experts on Ilham Aliyev's role in Victory

November 8 marks the second anniversary of the Great Victory in Azerbaijan. Two years ago, the Azerbaijani army under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev liberated Shusha, languishing under the Armenian yoke for 28 years, after which the inevitable capitulation of Armenia was not a matter of days, but hours. The Azerbaijani people has walked to this victory long and hard, going through many political and economic trials, some had already lost faith that this day would come, some hoped and waited. But it was thanks to the talent and foresight of the Azerbaijani President that the brilliant liberation operation called "Iron Fist" was implemented in the shortest possible time. The 44 autumn days became unique and significant for the history of our country, an example of incredible courage and valor of our soldiers, a model of military strategy and art for many armies of the world.

Of course, it is difficult to overestimate the Azerbaijani President’s role in this victory. He was the main strategist and consolidating force that led our army and all the people to this triumphant day.

Today, on the second anniversary of the Victory, pundits and experts from different countries shared their views on the important role of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in a conversation with Caliber.Az.

Israeli political scientist and journalist Roman Gurevich: "The victory in the 44-day war is the victory of the Azerbaijani people; it is the restoration of justice and the requirements of international law. During the years of Armenian occupation four UN resolutions were adopted, demanding from Armenians to liberate Azerbaijan’s occupied territories. But those resolutions remained only on paper. In the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity on its own. The role of the first person of Azerbaijan, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Ilham Aliyev, in my opinion, is enormous.

The foundation for this victory was built for decades, for many years an effective and powerful army was built, which showed miracles, liberating forests, ridges and mountain peaks in 44 days that considered either an extremely difficult task or simply impossible.

It is impossible to build an army without an effective economy, and the vast natural resources and wealth of Azerbaijan were focused on the preparation of the country and the army. I also see President Ilham Aliyev’s enormous role in this.

In addition, we know how duplicitous the world community is on many issues, including this conflict: on the one hand, the justice of Azerbaijan's demands were recognized, but on the other hand, nothing was done at all, or even openly, some European leaders winked at the Armenian side. Therefore, Azerbaijan had to achieve this victory on its own. To achieve such a victory without preparation at the appropriate diplomatic level, in the international arena, would have been simply impossible. And such preparations were made by the Azerbaijani leadership, and the world community accepted the results of the Second Karabakh War. A clear example - when Aliyev meets with the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of France and the Head of the European Union, they all together recognize the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan - this is the result of tremendous work, the highest political pilotage at the international level. Ilham Aliyev's skillful diplomacy forced a number of European politicians and anti-Azerbaijan forces, even pro-Armenian Macron, to adopt this position. Without Ilham Aliyev's wise actions, this would not have been possible".

Togrul Ismayil, Turkish political scientist and professor at Ankara University: "During the Second Karabakh War, the Azerbaijani President assumed great responsibility, including as Commander-in-Chief of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, making major decisions on the management of the country and the army. This includes the country's great diplomatic successes.

During the war, President Aliyev did a lot, including on the international diplomatic front, actually breaking the propaganda mechanism of unfriendly countries. There was a massive information attack against Azerbaijan; a lot of negativity was directed against Baku’s just position. All the threats were stopped by the arguments of the President Aliyev. This should also be noted.

The important point is that after the war, President Aliyev signed the Shusha Declaration with Türkiye, which became a determining factor for the post-conflict peace in the South Caucasus. The ability to act promptly and wisely in a rapidly changing geopolitical world is one of the significant tools of the winner’s policy in the person of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The alliance of the president and the strong army plus the support of the entire Azerbaijani population led to the victory in the Patriotic War”.

Kazakh political scientist Sharip Ishmukhamedov: “I see President Aliyev’s huge contribution, as the leader of the nation, to the Azerbaijani army’s achievement of victory.

President Ilham Aliyev created a developed, modern economy, since all the funds received from the sale of energy resources abroad were used for the all-round structural development of the country, its industrial production, and the creation of jobs. The money was also channelled into the formation of a modern army and the purchase of modern weapons. Ilham Aliyev was able to raise the status of the military and the authority of the army, which, in a sense, had suffered as a result of the war in the 1990s. This also required enormous funds, influence, and the very role of President Aliyev himself. After all, every army is strong not only with weapons, but also with morale, and the readiness for self-sacrifice to restore the territorial integrity of the country. All of this was inherently present in the Azerbaijani army, implied as a matter of course.

And one more important point – the summer 2020 march in Baku had already shown the readiness of the population, the mood to support the army. This means that people had had confidence in the strength of the army and the resilience of the economy, in its transition to a military footing with many components. And this is also President Ilham Aliyev’s merit”.