Aliyev: Karabakh war victory winners source of national pride

President Ilham Aliyev has said that all servicemen, who gave Azerbaijan the glorious victory in the 44-day war with Armenia in 2020, are a source of the nation's pride.

President Ilham Aliyev made the remarks in an address to the nation on Remembrance Day on September 27 to commemorate all the martyrs that were killed in the Second Karabakh War.

"I bow once again to the memory of all our martyrs, to the souls of the martyrs of the first and second Karabakh wars... Our heroic soldiers and officers who gave us this Victory are the source of our pride. Their heroism, their bravery and selfsacrifice have already become a saga. From now on, we will live as a victorious country, a victorious people, and we will build and restore the liberated lands. Life is returning to those lands, people are returning. Our main goal today is to provide for this return as soon as possible,” the president said.

The president described the Second Karabakh War as the country’s glorious history. He added that the victory will go down in history forever.

“We have expelled the enemy from our lands and restored justice and international law. We have restored our national dignity. Today, the people of Azerbaijan live as victorious people. Today, the Azerbaijani state lives as a victorious state. From now on, we will forever live as a victorious nation and a victorious state,” Aliyev stated.

Noting the Armenian military provocations against Azerbaijani civilians during the 44-day Karabakh war, Aliyev stated that more than 100 civilians fell victim to Armenian fascism. He noted the Armenian use of banned weapons, white phosphorus bombs and ballistic missiles.

The president underlined that the Azerbaijani people showed tremendous determination, resolve and courage to cope with all these provocations.

“During the war, we all lived by one motto – we will go forward in the face of death. The people of Azerbaijan stood behind the Azerbaijani Army and gave it additional strength,” he added.

The president added that the heroism and selfsacrifice of martyrs, soldiers and officers will never be forgotten.

It should be noted that during the 44-day war 2,907 servicemen died, seven are still missing. Some 94 civilians who were killed as the result of Armenian crimes were given the status of martyrs.

As a sign of deep respect for the soldiers and officers who gave their lives for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, September 27 is marked in Azerbaijan as Remembrance Day under President Ilham Aliyev's relevant decree. The decree was signed on December 2, 2020.

A Moscow-brokered ceasefire deal that Baku and Yerevan signed on November 10, 2020, brought an end to six weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it had occupied since the early 1990s.

The peace agreement stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Armenian-occupied Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions and urged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands. Before the signing of the deal, the Azerbaijani army had liberated around 300 villages, settlements, city centers, and historic Shusha city.