President and First Lady in Aghdam: Azerbaijan’s Hiroshima in new period of prosperity
Azerbaijan’s Hiroshima - Aghdam was known also as a ghost town since it was occupied by Armenian forces in the First Karabakh War in July 1993. Founded in the 18th century, it was granted city status in 1828 and grew considerably during the Soviet period. Aghdam lies 26 km (16 miles) from Azerbaijan’s Kahnkendi at the eastern foot of the Karabakh Range, on the outskirts of the Karabakh plain.
By the time it was occupied and ruined by Armenian separatists, Aghdam had been famous for its butter, wine and brandy, machine, and silk factories, an airport and two railway stations functioned there. Today, this city, which looks like a ghost town, was once the home of 23,100 Azerbaijani Turks, and after 1989, the city was gradually abandoned as a result of provocations by Armenian separatists. The heavy fighting forced the city's population to flee eastwards, and upon the seizure, Armenian forces sacked the town. Until 2020, it was almost entirely ruined and uninhabited.
As part of an agreement that ended the 2020 Second Karabakh War (known as also The Patriotic War), the town and its surrounding district came under Azerbaijani control on 20 November 2020.
Today, Aghdam replaces its former ghost town name with the status of a rebuilt, flourishing Aghdam and enters a new era of its development. This was clearly reflected by the participation of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva in the groundbreaking ceremonies of a number of large-scale infrastructure works during their recent visit to Aghdam.
First up, the President laid a foundation stone for the Digital Management Center and Training-Education Complex owned by "Azerishig" OJSC in the city of Aghdam.
President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban
Aliyeva then laid the foundation stone for the Aghdam Mugham Center, the 2nd and 3rd residential quarters to be built in the city of Aghdam, and an administrative building in the city center.
The head of state also viewed the progress of construction of the Barda-Aghdam railway line.
New Digital Management Center, Training-Education Complex of Azerishig in Aghdam was founded by President Ilham Aliyev.
As informed by Chairman of "Azerishig" OJSC Vugar Ahmadov to the President at the groundbreaking ceremony, the Digital Management Center will meet the electricity needs of the city's multi-purpose infrastructure. It is noteworthy that the Training-Education Complex will be enabled to host international events with necessary conditions to be created soon. Besides, according to Ahmadov, the Regional Training Center of the complex will consist of a training hall and a training ground.