Three years pass since Armenia signs capitulation act in Second Karabakh War

Today marks the third anniversary of the signing of the act of capitulation by Armenia, which marked the end of the Second Karabakh War.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed the act of capitulation, Caliber.Az reports.

On September 27, 2020, the Azerbaijani army, under the leadership of the Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, launched counter-offensive operations against Armenia’s military provocations. They resulted in the liberation of Azerbaijani lands, which for almost 30 years were held under the occupation of the Armenian armed forces.

The enemy, who invaded ancient Azerbaijani lands and brutally expelled Azerbaijanis living here, was destroyed on the battlefield. The surviving militants were expelled from the Azerbaijani lands.

The Azerbaijani army liberated the occupied lands inch by inch, expelling the occupiers and capturing enemy equipment and ammunition as war trophies.

The heroism and courage shown by the Azerbaijani army on the battlefield crushed the enemy. During the Second Karabakh War, the number of deserters in the Armenian army was over 10,000. The liberation of several settlements by the Azerbaijani army on the very first day of the escalation caused panic and fear among enemy personnel.

For the period of 44-day battles, 5 cities, 4 settlements, and 286 villages were liberated. Thus, Jabrayil city and its 90 villages; Fuzuli city and its 53 villages, Zangilan city, Minjivan, Agband, Bartaz settlements, and another 52 villages; Hadrut settlement and 35 villages of Khojavand District; three villages of Tartar District; Gubadli city and its 41 villages; 9 villages of Khojaly District; Shusha, several villages of Lachin District, as well as several strategic heights in the direction of Agdara and Murovdag; and in Zangilan, Bartaz, Sigirt, Shukurataz heights, and 5 more unnamed heights were liberated.

The liberation of the city of Shusha by the Azerbaijani army on November 8 predetermined the outcome of the war. The military-political leadership of Armenia was forced to sign a ceasefire document, in fact, an act of capitulation. It was a crushing victory for the Azerbaijani army under the leadership of 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 on a complete ceasefire and of all military operations in the conflict zone. Thus, the long-term Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict was put to an end. According to the statement, the Agdam, Kalbajar, and Lachin districts were returned to Azerbaijan without a fight.

It was initially assumed that the statement would be signed by the leaders of the three countries via video conference. However, subsequently, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan refused to sign the trilateral statement in front of the world community. Hiding away from human eyes, the Armenian prime minister secretly signed the act of capitulation of his country. Thus, Azerbaijan has won a complete victory both on the battlefield and in the political arena.

However, Armenia did not fulfill its obligations under the signed document. The tripartite statement of November 10, 2020, clearly stated the requirement for Armenia to withdraw its forces from Karabakh in parallel with the deployment of Russian peacekeepers. However, for almost three years, Armenia continued to support illegal military formations on the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan. Illegal Armenian armed groups in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan systematically fired at the positions of the Azerbaijani army from weapons of various calibers, mined our territories, and committed various acts of sabotage.

Azerbaijan launched local anti-terrorism measures on September 19, 2023, to ensure the provisions of the tripartite statement, prevent large-scale provocations, committed in the Karabakh economic region, disarm and withdraw formations of the Armenian armed forces from Azerbaijani territories, neutralize their military infrastructure, return civilians to territories liberated from occupation, ensure the safety of civilian specialists and military personnel involved in construction and restoration work, and restore the constitutional order of the Azerbaijan Republic in the region.

Consequently, in less than 24 hours, with the use of high-precision weapons, the forward and deep positions and long-term firing points of the Armenian armed forces, as well as combat assets and military facilities, were disabled. The separatist detachments fled, leaving behind their combat positions, weapons, and ammunition. Soon, the illegal armed groups in Karabakh and the separatist regime raised the white flag and surrendered, promising to fulfill all the conditions of Azerbaijan.

On October 15, the Azerbaijani president visited Khankendi, Khojavand, Shusha, Khojaly, Agdara districts, Askaran fortress, and now the Azerbaijani flag flutters throughout the country.