There was a time when the Azerbaijanis and Armenians lived in friendship not only in Khankendi, but also in Karabakh, Baku, Ganja, Yerevan, Goycha, Zangezur, Daralayaz and Basarkechar, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said after he raised the national flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Khankendi.
He recalled that after Heydar Aliyev came to power in Soviet Azerbaijan, some nationalist forces that had existed in Karabakh until then completely withdrew. From 1969 to 1982, there was not a single unpleasant incident - exactly 18 years.
"I remember coming here with my father. I remember that atmosphere. Here, there was a friendly atmosphere in the true sense of the word. Work was being done together,"
The president recalled that the Azerbaijani flag was raised today over the Sarsang reservoir, which was built on Heydar Aliyev’s initiative in 1976.
"A railway was built from Aghdam to Khankendi, a higher school was established here, and most of the buildings you see in Khankendi were constructed in those years," the head of state said.
