Azerbaijan’s military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh restored justice and international law, President Ilham Aliyev said on Thursday before the beginning of a military parade in Baku devoted to the end of hostilities in Karabakh.
"In the course of the 44-day war Azerbaijan put an end to the occupation of its territories and restored justice and international law," Aliyev said.
He recalled that the people of Azerbaijan had waited for that moment for nearly 30 years. Aliyev stressed that the presence of a Turkish delegation led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the parade was a "demonstration of unity, friendship and fraternity of the two countries."
"From the very first hours of the war we felt Turkey’s backing. This political and moral support makes every Azerbaijani feel proud," Aliyev said.
The head of state noted that Azerbaijani soldiers and Azerbaijani officers were fighting for one goal – to put an end to this occupation, to this injustice, to celebrate a victory of historical justice, and we have succeeded.
Stressing the inevitability of a military solution to the conflict under such circumstances, the head of state said: "In September this year, three days before the war, I said at the UN General Assembly that Armenia was preparing for a new war and that Armenia must be stopped. And this is what happened. There were three military provocations against us this year. In July, a military provocation was committed on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, when Armenia wanted to occupy our lands. But they got a fitting rebuff and we pushed them back. In August, a sabotage group was sent to Azerbaijan, and that sabotage group was neutralized. Finally, on 27 September, our villages and military positions came under artillery fire, causing casualties among civilians and servicemen. We said enough is enough, this occupation must and will end."
The Karabakh war ended on the night of November 9-10, 2020 with the victory of Azerbaijan. During the hostilities from September 27 to November 9, the Azerbaijani army liberated the Fizuli, Jebrail, Zangilan and Gubadli districts, parts of the Terter, Khojavend, Khojaly and Shusha districts, including the heart of Azerbaijani culture - the city of Shusha from the occupation forces of the Armenian Armed Forces. From November 10 to 30, the Armenian troops were withdrawn from the Aghdam, Kalbajar and Lachin regions. The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan was restored on December 1.
