President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has addressed the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis and the New Year.
"A number of significant events took place in the life of our country in 2023. Of all these events, however, the restoration of our state sovereignty will forever remain in the memory of the Azerbaijani people. Following a one-day anti-terrorist operation carried out in 2023, Azerbaijan fully restored its state sovereignty, the occupying forces were expelled from the territory of Azerbaijan, the enemy army was crushed, and its military hardware was either destroyed or taken over as trophy. I would like to once again sincerely congratulate all the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of this historic event," Ilham Aliyev said.
The Azerbaijani president recalled that when Azerbaijan won the Karabakh War in 2020, and raised its flag in Shusha, their work was not completed: Azerbaijan had to restore its state sovereignty in full, and so it did.
He recalled that Baku wanted to resolve the issue peacefully for three years and believed that the Armenian leadership would properly analyze the results of the Second Karabakh War and draw the right conclusions. Unfortunately, this did not happen. For three years, not only did Armenia fail to fulfill its obligations, but it actually staged new military provocations against Azerbaijan and carried them out.
"The anti-terrorist operation, which started on September 19 and lasted only one day, even less than that, ended with complete victory of the Azerbaijan army. The separatist regime collapsed, fell to its knees before us, waved the white flag, surrendered, was forever expelled from our lands, and thrown into the trashcan of history. With this, the very roots of separatism in Azerbaijan were eradicated, and separatism – that scourge will never raise its head in our lands again," Ilham Aliyev said.
The Azerbijani head of state stressed that Karabakh and East Zangezur have turned into a huge construction site now: cities and villages are being rebuilt, and about 5,000 formerly displaced persons returned to their native lands in 2023.
"We, the owners of these lands, are building and creating there. We are a nation of creators. For 30 years, the Armenians had been destroying our lands, razing our houses, historical buildings and mosques to the ground, committing acts of genocide against us, perpetrating the crimes of urbicide and ecocide. Our rivers have been poisoned and our forests have been destroyed. All this was done by the Armenian state. The people of Azerbaijan know perfectly well that we will do what we think is right despite all the pressures, threats and unfounded accusations. Just as we have done to this day, we will continue to do so. The Armenian leadership should also draw the right conclusions from these historical lessons and behave in such a way as not to provoke our anger," Ilham Aliyev said.
The head of state recalled that this year was declared a Year of Heydar Aliyev in Azerbaijan, and that he spent his father's birthday in Shusha. Addressing the people of Azerbaijan from the central square of Shusha, Ilham Aliyev expressed his heartfelt words and said that the Azerbaijani people's actions were the greatest sign of respect for the memory of Heydar Aliyev. He believes that the National Flag raised in Aghdara, Asgaran, Khojavand, Khojaly and Khankendi on October 15 was a sign of profound respect for the memory of the National Leader, as well as the Victory Parade in the central square of Khankendi on November 8.
"Today, Azerbaijanis all over the world are truly proud of independent Azerbaijan. Today, Azerbaijanis of the world are celebrating the World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day with a completely new mood. For three years now, Azerbaijanis of the world and all the people of Azerbaijan have been very excited and are holding their head up high with dignity. Our historic victory, our victory in the Second Karabakh War, the anti-terrorist operation, liberation from the occupiers and the collapse of the separatist regime have rightly brought all Azerbaijanis together into one fist. The Iron Fist has been the symbol of our victorious chronicle. Today, the Iron Fist is also a symbol of our unity, and I would like to assure the people of Azerbaijan and all Azerbaijanis of the world that the Iron Fist will always be in place," Ilham Aliyev said.
The Azerbaijani leader wished the citizens robust health and every success. "I do hope that 2024 will be a successful year for our country and people," he expressed hope.
