(MENAFN- AzerNews) By
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has
addressed the nation.
presents the address.
Nationwide address of President Ilham
Aliyev
- Dear fellow compatriots. The victorious Azerbaijani army is
gaining new victories on the battlefield. These victories make
every Azerbaijani citizen happy. The enemy, which has been
occupying our lands for almost 30 years, sees the strength of the
Azerbaijani Army on the battlefield. We are fighting on our own
land, defending our own land, and we will continue to drive the
invaders out of our lands.
Our people are looking forward to more news from the battlefield
and the frontline. I am very happy. I am a very lucky person to be
able to convey this good news to the people of Azerbaijan. The
liberation of every village, every city and every strategic height
from the occupiers requires great professionalism, courage, bravery
and heroism. Our servicemen are becoming martyrs. May Allah rest
the souls of all our martyrs in peace! Our martyrs will always live
in our hearts. Our servicemen are getting wounded on the
battlefield. May Allah send healing to all our wounded soldiers! At
the same time, the hated enemy is constantly firing on our
settlements. Every day, our cities and villages along the frontline
come under fire from the hated enemy. Tartar district is
particularly exposed to cowardly fire. At the same time, the enemy
fires on Aghdam, Goranboy, Aghjabadi, Barda, other cities and
districts. As a result of the cowardly shelling of the city of
Ganja, civilians were killed – children, women, the elderly. But it
does not matter to the enemy. There is no difference for them. They
are defeated on the battlefield, they are unable to stand in front
of the Azerbaijani Army and commit crimes against the civilian
population in front of the whole world in order to stop us and
strike at us. The whole world sees what an ugly and savage enemy
Azerbaijan is liberating its native lands from. For 30 years, they
sat on our lands and tried to challenge us. For 30 years, they
exploited our lands, exploited our natural resources. Theft and
looting are their trademarks. Suffice it to look at the destroyed
villages and cities to see what savages we are facing. There is not
a single safe building in the occupied and already liberated lands.
All buildings have been demolished and looted. Our historical
sites, mosques and graves have been destroyed, looted and
desecrated. They thought that the Azerbaijani people would put up
with this situation. They thought that these lands would be
occupied forever. They changed the names of our cities, changed the
borders of our districts, changed the names of our villages, wanted
to Armenianize our lands but could not achieve this. They could not
break the will of the Azerbaijani people.
Every Azerbaijani who has not seen their native lands, who
opened their eyes to the world after the occupation lived with a
desire to return to these lands. We saw it in the example of Jojug
Marjanly. Young people born after the occupation, each of them
cherished the dream of returning to Jojug Marjanly. I am sure that
the citizens of Azerbaijan will return to all the lands liberated
from the occupiers. They will live in those lands again and build
there in peace and tranquility – just as the cultural heritage of
the Azerbaijani people has been created in all the once occupied
lands. But the hated enemy wanted to destroy this heritage,
destroyed our mosques. When we built a mosque similar to the Shusha
mosque in the village of Jojug Marjanly and opened it, I said that
they may have destroyed the buildings of mosques but these mosques
live in our hearts, and one day all our destroyed mosques will be
restored, all our cities and villages will be restored. We are on
the threshold of the Great Return, and the Azerbaijani state will
do its best to ensure that citizens of Azerbaijan return to the
occupied and liberated lands and live there in peace and
tranquility. Life will be revived in these lands.
Our IDPs have lived all these years with a dream although many
of them have wonderful conditions. As you know, this year alone we
plan to provide 7,000 apartments to the IDPs. More than 300,000
IDPs have been provided with houses and apartments. They are
grateful to us for this care, they have expressed their gratitude
in our numerous meetings. But at the same time, I knew myself and
they asked me to return them to their land. They understood that
this was a difficult issue, they were perfectly aware that this
required certain geopolitical conditions. They believed in me, and
I told them that we would return them to those lands. I told them
that I knew what to do, when and how. The trust people placed in me
allowed us the opportunity to resolve this issue. I declare again
that I keep all the promises I make. I am true to all the promises
I make. The main goal of my activity as President is the return of
Azerbaijani lands, the restoration of territorial integrity, and we
are doing it on the battlefield today.
The negotiations did not yield any results for almost 30 years.
The fortifications Armenia built in the occupied territories show
that they did not intend to give up these lands. They simply
deceived us and international mediators. They were simply biding
time, while at the same time conducting illegal settlement of the
occupied territories. They settled thousands of people in the city
of Lachin, thousands more in Kalbajar. They lived in our villages
we have liberated today – in Fuzuli, Jabrayil and other districts.
Most of those villages are destroyed, but in some houses they lived
on our lands. Having carried out ethnic cleansing against the
Azerbaijanis, having committed genocide against the Azerbaijanis
and having expelled our citizens from their native lands, they held
a 'referendum', which is completely contrary to human morality,
laws and international law. No-one recognizes the so-called
'Nagorno-Karabakh republic'. Now they are trying to get countries
of the world to recognize the so-called criminal entity. They have
lost their mind. They do not understand that no-one will do it.
They do not understand that every country that does this can no
longer be considered a friendly country for Azerbaijan. Not only
that, we will cut all ties with such a country. They lost their
mind. They are trying to restore the status quo now. I have said
there is no status quo. We have destroyed the status quo and we
have done what is right. We have been waiting for about 30 years.
Ten years ago, at the level of the Minsk Group co-chairs and their
presidents, a statement was made that the status quo was
unacceptable. We also supported it, we liked it, we had high hopes,
and then some progress at the negotiating table raised our hopes.
But the hated enemy simply deceived us and the international
community. This is disrespect for international mediators.
We changed the status quo by showing strength on the
battlefield. I said this before these clashes, I have said this
several times. Unfortunately, international law does not work in
international relations. If it did, four UN Security Council
resolutions would have been implemented long ago. We waited for 20
years for these resolutions to be implemented. They simply remained
on paper. Why? Because there was no political will, there was no
mechanism for the implementation of these resolutions. The hated
enemy thought that they could continue to ignore them, that they
would continue to flout international law, that they can continue
to commit their ugly deeds on our lands. We have forced them. Our
fist is there not only to smash the enemy's head. Our fist is a
fist of unity, the unity of our people, a fist of focused
activities, the adoption of decisions and resolutions at the
international level that benefit us and reflect justice.
In some cases, I saw before these events that Azerbaijani
citizens, including the IDPs, believed that although such
diplomatic successes were certainly important, they did not provide
a solution. I always explained to them that this was an issue that
should be resolved within the framework of international law.
Therefore, we must work with all leading international
organizations to expand the legal framework for resolving this
conflict. UN Security Council resolutions did not work. We have
made great efforts, the UN General Assembly, the Non-Aligned
Movement, the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other organizations have
adopted resolutions. The document we have initialed with the
European Union also supports the inviolability of our borders, our
sovereignty and the territorial integrity of our country. That is
the basis for resolving this conflict. This is why the Armenian
leadership, acting like a beggar, like an inane one – I am sorry
but they are worthy of any name – sends letters to all
international organizations day and night, makes statements and
asks why they remain silent. Why should they speak up? They have
already adopted these resolutions and decisions, and Azerbaijan
conducts military operations on its territory recognized by the
international community. We do not carry out any operations on the
territory of Armenia – we have no such plans – even though they
have bombed Ganja twice from the territory of Armenia. We did not
respond to them in their fashion. We responded on the battlefield.
I said that we would take revenge on them on the battlefield. We
will not leave the blood of our martyrs unavenged. The main goal of
our activity in international organizations was to improve and
expand this legal framework, and we were able to achieve this.
Therefore, the Armenian leadership must think carefully. They
are already on their knees. We have brought them to their knees. We
have shown them the place they deserve. We will drive them out of
our lands! We will drive them out! Good news comes in every day.
Every day, our flag is raised in a new settlement. This is the
strength of the Azerbaijani state, the Azerbaijani people. For 30
years, the Armenian leadership has been spreading myths about a
'strong army', myths about an 'invincible Armenian army'. Where is
this 'invincible Armenian army?' Look at the way it runs away from
us. It was all a myth, it was all a lie. We have exposed it. They
insulted us for 30 years. For 30 years, they had been destroying
our sites in the occupied territories and trying to erase our
historical and cultural heritage. Why has the international
community not imposed sanctions on the aggressor state for 30
years? I have repeatedly said that sanctions should be imposed.
This country, the leadership of this country does not want to leave
these lands of its own free will. They deceive us, imitate a
process of negotiations. They are not trustworthy, and I was right.
Look at the fortifications they built there. Will a country that
builds such fortifications, a country that spends so much money on
them ever get out of there? If they wanted to leave, they would not
have built them. So every word they say is a lie. Today, the
leaders of their state incessantly spread lies and fabrications
about Azerbaijan and the events on the battlefield – as if someone
is fighting for us. The Azerbaijani people, Azerbaijani youth,
Azerbaijani soldiers are teaching them a lesson. We are fighting
alone and everyone knows that. They can't come to terms with that
because their myth is falling apart, the myth that formed the basis
of their ideology. They have been lying about history.
Unfortunately, they have succeeded in convincing many countries of
their historical lies. The lies about Khojaly – as if Azerbaijan
committed the Khojaly genocide itself. Regarding the bombing of
Ganja, their officials have made a false statement that Armenia did
not organize the rocket fire. They have neither conscience nor
morality. They don't even have the brain. If they had the brain,
they would say: look, this is the starting point and the trajectory
of this ballistic missile. It can be followed by the world's
leading countries, where it was fired from and where it landed.
Ballistic missiles are programmed with a combat mission. It did not
accidentally fall into that residential area at night. It was done
deliberately. They have lost their mind. They want to continue to
deceive the world. Who else fired this rocket on Ganja? We
ourselves? Just as they lied that Azerbaijan committed the Khojaly
genocide itself, they are lying again now. He lies to the whole
world. He lies in all of his interviews. We will continue to expel
these liars. They see who is who now. They see that we were
teaching them a lesson they will never forget. Now they are asking
for help. They are calling for help now! So where is your
'victorious army'? Where is your 'invincible army'? Armenia's
drunken prime minister was dancing on our sacred Jidir plain. He
should have thought that this insult would affect the people of
Azerbaijan? He thought that no-one would touch them. He thought
that all countries would continue to defend them, world Armenians,
Armenian lobbies and some of their friendly countries. This is why
they have gone astray, this is why they have grown impudent. We
showed them their place, hit them on the head so hard that they are
unlikely ever to recover. We have almost destroyed their army and
equipment. They are running away. And they will keep running.
In short, our superiority on the battlefield is no longer a
secret. We are on the right path. Ours is the cause of justice. We
are fighting on our own land, giving martyrs and restoring our
territorial integrity. These steps will be continue to be taken.
Armenia must declare before it is too late that it is withdrawing
from the occupied territories. After that the fighting may
stop.
Every time I address my people, I bring good news. At the same
time, almost every day I mention the names of new villages and
cities liberated from occupation on my Twitter account, through
Twitter. I know that the people of Azerbaijan are waiting for this
news every day! Every day and every hour, people wait for this news
to come out. But I want my dear people to know that the capture of
every village and every height requires great courage. Because not
only the fortifications built there but also the military terrain
in the liberated lands are more favorable for the Armenians. We are
fighting against their fortifications, their cannons and missiles,
as well as the natural terrain. We are liberating our lands inch by
inch from the occupiers. It is very difficult.
The day will come and we will provide detailed information about
that. I am sure that the people of Azerbaijan understand that we
are saying whatever is possible today. The fighting is going on,
and we want this fighting to end and our territorial integrity to
be restored soon. Therefore, I think that the volume of information
provided to the Azerbaijani public is sufficient.
Staying true to this beautiful tradition, I would like to share
new information with the people of Azerbaijan. I will share with my
dear nation information about the enemy's destroyed equipment and
booty.
Thus, 241 enemy tanks have been destroyed, 39 tanks have been
taken as military booty – so a total of 280 tanks. However, there
are still more tanks, both in the occupied territories and in
Armenia. Where did they get so many tanks? This contradicts the
international conventions governing all this. Why didn't the
institutions that were supposed to monitor these conventions pay
attention to that? We say that 241 tanks have been destroyed – we
will organize their demonstration later – and 39 tanks have been
taken over in good condition. Our soldiers are sitting in these
tanks and firing at the enemy with their own tanks.
Fifty infantry fighting vehicles have been destroyed and 24 have
been taken as booty and are in our hands. Seventeen self-propelled
artillery pieces have been destroyed, 198 artillery pieces have
been destroyed, 58 mortars have been destroyed, 12 mortars have
been taken as booty, 25 grenade-launchers have been seized as
military booty, 53 anti-tank vehicles have been destroyed, 70 Grad
installations have been destroyed, two 'Hurricane' and two Multiple
Rocket Launchers have been destroyed, one 'TOS' has been destroyed,
four 'S-300' anti-aircraft missile systems have been destroyed.
Last time I shared this information with the Azerbaijani public, we
had destroyed two 'S-300' anti-aircraft missile systems. To date,
we have destroyed four complexes. The cost of each complex is well
known. They are very expensive military equipment. Three 'TOR'
anti-aircraft missile systems have been destroyed. About 40 'OSA'
anti-aircraft missile systems have been destroyed. Five 'KUB' and
'KRUG' anti-aircraft missile systems have been destroyed. Six
unmanned aerial vehicles, two operational-tactical missile systems
Elbrus, one ballistic missile, one Tochka-U missile, eight
radio-electronic means of combat have been destroyed, 198 trucks
have been destroyed, including 15 full of ammunition, 102 trucks
have been seized as military booty. We will continue to destroy the
military equipment of the enemy. Whatever they have left will also
be destroyed.
And now, I am very proud to announce the liberation of our
settlements my dear people are looking forward to.
Fuzuli district – names of liberated villages: Dordchinar,
Kurdlar, Yukhari Abdurrahmanli, Garghabazar, Ashaghi Veysalli,
Yukhari Aybasanli.
Jabrayil district - liberated villages: Safarsha, Hasangaydi,
Fughanli, Imambaghi, Dash Veysalli, Aghtapa, Yarahmadli.
Khojavand district – the list of liberated settlements:
Aghjakand, Mulkudara, Dashbashi, Gunashli (former name of Gunashli
village was Norashen), Vang. I am giving this village a new
Azerbaijani name. From now on, Vang village should be called
Chinarli village. Blessed be the name!
Zangilan district. The glorious Azerbaijani Army has also
entered the territory of Zangilan district and liberated
settlements. The liberated settlements in the territory of Zangilan
district: Havali village, Zarnali village, Mammadbayli village,
Hakari village, Sharifan village, Mughanli village and Zangilan
city! Zangilan is ours! Karabakh is ours!
Dear nation, dear people of Zangilan, Fuzuli, Khojavand,
Jabrayil and other occupied districts. We are fulfilling our
mission. We are giving a worthy response to the enemy. We are
punishing the enemy. The enemy is helpless. We are breaking the
enemy's back and we will break it!
Karabakh is ours! Long live Azerbaijan! Long live the people of
Azerbaijan!