Ilham Aliyev: it was Serzhik Sarkisyan who lost Karabakh war

It was the likes of one of the instigators of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Serzhik Sarkisyan who lost the Karabakh war, he now wants to blame the defeat on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said, making a speech in Sugovushan settlement of Tartar district on October 3.

"An analysis of the war shows again that it was the likes of Serzhik Sarkisyan who lost the war. He now wants to blame the defeat on Pashinyan, as if it is Pashinyan who is to blame. Pashinyan came to power in 2018. Could he have created an army in just two years? Or could he have destroyed a 'strong' and 'formidable' army? It is Serzhik who created this army. Serzhik was the minister of defense in Armenia. Serzhik was the prime minister of Armenia. He was the head of the Presidential Administration and head of the Ministry of Security. He was president for 10 years," the Azerbaijani leader said.

"By crushing that army, we have destroyed Serzhik and those like him. Let him not blame this defeat on Pashinyan," Ilham aliyev said, adding that Sargsyan was given the best punishment by the Armenian people themselves, who kicked him out of office in 2018.

"I did not call him Serzhik Sarkisyan because I wanted to humiliate him, but because this is his real name and surname. We have this information in our archives. His birth certificate and his Komsomol ticket state that his name is Serzhik Sarkisyan. Then he changed it to Serzh Sarkisyan," Azerbaijani president said, adding that at first Sarkisyan betrayed former first secretary of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region Boris Gevorkov, then Robert Kocharyan.

Ilham Aliyev raised the flag of Azerbaijan in Talish village of Tartar district. "There were fierce battles here a year ago. We had martyrs. May Allah rest the souls of all our martyrs in peace. The liberation of the village of Talish holds a special place among our successful operations. Because there were very strong fortifications here. The enemy had built several lines of defense and, of course, they were waiting for us here. In many operations, we counterattacked the enemy from places it did not expect. In this direction, the battlefield is quite narrow. It is fairly limited. So, of course, the enemy was waiting for us here, and we have come, without fearing anything. We have come by shedding blood and giving martyrs. We liberated the villages of Talish and Sugovushan exactly a year ago," he said.

"This gave us a great strategic advantage. This once again showed that the Armenian army is helpless and unable to stand in front of the Azerbaijani Army. And then our victory was not too far away. Today, the sovereignty of Azerbaijan in this region is fully ensured. Great infrastructure work has been done over a year. The main thing is that the people of Azerbaijan will live here in peace and tranquility. Of course, we will restore the village of Talish and life will return here," the Azerbaijanji leader stressed.

Ilham Aliyev visited the Albanian-Udi church destroyed by the Armenians in Talish village.  The head of state said: "Notice what the Armenians have done to it. Then they will start claiming that it is an Armenian church. If it were Armenian, would they have brought it to this state? It will be preserved as a historical site. All religious sites in Azerbaijan are protected by the state. Sites of all religions will continue to be protected. We will also restore this ancient Albanian church. Armenians had only been ravaging this region for 30 years."

Visiting the Russian Orthodox church in the village, President Aliyev said: "It has also been destroyed by Armenians. Notice what condition it is in. They have knocked down the stones and the walls. This is the current situation. We will restore and repair this church as well. Unlike Armenians, we respect all religious sites."