(MENAFN- AzerNews) By Peter Tase
Azerbaijan enjoys a high reputation and prestige on the world
stage and the country maintains admirable levels of economic and
financial growth.
The successful military operation and liberation of Shusha
during the Azerbaijani people's Patriotic War are rare occurrences
in contemporary military history and a singular phenomenon in many
facets. Under the inspirational command of President Ilham Aliyev,
the Azerbaijani Armed Forces also made the following noteworthy
accomplishments:
In just three or four days, the Azerbaijani army overcame the
enemy's heavily fortified defenses that had taken 30 years to build
up. There were 10,000 deserters from the Armenian army during the
Second Karabakh War, but not a single Azerbaijani soldier left the
battle scene. Children forced out of Karabakh in their mothers' arms and
barefoot returned to their homeland on tanks, liberating their
grandparents' ancestral lands and arriving proudly in their
motherland. The successful operation in Shusha, the climax of the Karabakh
Victory, was etched in global military history textbooks. Maximum results were obtained with minimal losses despite the
difficult terrain and physical geography. The people of Azerbaijan, led by President, His Excellency Mr.
Ilham Aliyev, formed an Iron Fist and broke the enemy's backbone
and morale.
There are written and unwritten laws of war. An army against the
other army, a soldier against a soldier, face to face, man to man.
The one who is strong has the advantage. This is exactly how
Azerbaijan fought in this forty-four-day war. What action did
Armenia take? It fired ballistic missiles at civilians in Ganja,
Barda, and Tartar, killing hundreds of civilians, children, and
women.
Azerbaijan had even more powerful weapons at its disposal if it
wanted to attack Yerevan. The military strategy was carefully
considered by the victorious Commander-in-Chief in Baku. Instead,
the Azerbaijani Army exacted vengeance on the battlefield for the
martyrs and innocent civilian victims. Azerbaijan once again
demonstrated to the world who is who.
Lieutenant General Hikmat Izzat Mirzayev has proven to be
extremely professional and has used cutting-edge military tactics
that should be studied in war colleges in the US and Europe.
One of the commanders of the military operations to liberate
Azerbaijan's sovereign territory from the Armenian Armed Forces
invasion is Special Forces Commander Hikmat Mirzayev. He also
oversaw the operation to liberate Jabrayil District from the more
than 27-year Armenian occupation.
The immense services and leadership of First Vice President
Mehriban Aliyeva in the victory of Karabakh are also remembered
with a feeling of gratitude. Ms. Mehriban Aliyeva, President Ilham
Aliyev's closest and loyal comrade-in-arms, provided strong
political and moral support to the struggle for the liberation of
Azerbaijan's sovereign lands. All of her appeals to the people and
requests for national solidarity resounded in the hearts of the
people, impressing everyone. Her prayers during the war were
accepted and God granted her the happiness of embracing the land of
Karabakh.
On the initiative of Ms. Mehriban Aliyeva, the Heydar Aliyev
Foundation started restoring historical and religious monuments in
Shusha and other liberated lands right after the Patriotic War.
This admirable initiative gave the building projects in Karabakh
and to the east of Zangazur a strong boost.
For many years, the Azerbaijani people demanded justice for
Khojaly and Karabakh. The international community was silent, with
the exception of a few states in the United States of America.
In comparison to other nations like Kuwait, Afghanistan, and
Iraq, the United States hasn't invested as much in Azerbaijan. But
what about international law and justice? The United States and
France, who acknowledge the made-up Armenian genocide that is
purported to have occurred a century ago but for which there is
still no proof, do not want to acknowledge the Khojaly massacre
that the Armenians carried out in full view of the entire
world.
Similar to the OSCE, Minsk Group, we can still clearly see what
Armenia did to the lands it occupied by eradicating hundreds of
indigenous peoples and villages from Azerbaijani territory. Aghdam
is known as the Hiroshima of the Caucasus, the same is with
Jabrayil, Gubadli, Zangilan, Kalbajar, Lachin, and Fuzuli. There
was not a single building left by the Armenians; everything was
destroyed.
We were unaware of the destruction just two years ago. However,
the OSCE Minsk Group's US, Russian, and French co-chairs had been
visiting these territories back and forth for 30 years while being
fully aware of what was taking place. Despite seeing everything,
they remained silent.
Did someone stand up and say that the occupation and vandalism
must stop? The UN, and the OSCE, did not put pressure on the
occupier, on Armenia, which supports terrorism at the state level,
treating the brutal crime of genocide - against the long-suffering
people of Azerbaijan - coldly and as someone else's problem. As a
result, the invader (Armenia) and the occupied country (Azerbaijan)
were treated in the same way.
In international law, there is no concept of large or small,
strong or weak states. Each sovereign country has the same rights.
In reality, we are observing a double standard in the handling of
international law. The geopolitical events surrounding Ukraine are
the latest example. It must be borne in mind that all the Western
and NATO countries, including the United States of America, have
stood up. Unprecedented in world history sanctions are being
applied against Russia. But not a single sanction was applied
against Armenia, which kept the lands of Azerbaijan under
occupation for almost 30 years. Currently, Armenia continues to
kill innocent Azerbaijani lives, with thousands and thousands of
explosives, and anti-personnel mines buried (for three decades) in
agricultural land, within the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan.
The sad truth is that not a single effective step was taken to stop
this bloody, Yerevan-based attacker. If not for this cruel
patronage from the international and Western community, this armed
conflict would not have lasted 30 years and the situation would not
have reached this point.
Despite the obvious double standards, double standards, and
discrimination, the President of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev was
able to resolutely overcome all obstacles with his wise policy,
tremendous leadership, and forward-thinking patriotic
decisions.
In today's world, it is not international law and justice, but
the factor of power that is in the foreground: if you are strong,
you are taken into account, but if you are weak, you are ignored.
Taking this bitter reality into account, the President set himself
the goal of turning Azerbaijan into a strong and powerful state. He
strengthened the army in every possible way and organized constant,
tireless, and thoughtful work at the level of diplomacy. Over the
years, Azerbaijan became stronger and more powerful, a factor to be
reckoned with in the world. What the Great National Leader Heydar
Aliyev said with amazing foresight many years ago, was ripe in the
fall of 2020.
Azerbaijani President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed
Forces, Ilham Aliyev, withdrew from pointless negotiations and
ordered the army to launch an attack. This was done immediately
after the aggressor Armenia made public statements about“a new war
for new territories”, orchestrating incessant provocations on the
border and near the occupied territories. President Aliyev provided
a clear and explicit answer to those who believed that 'war was not
an option': we will liberate our lands at all costs, said the
president.
And so it happened. The idea of a Strong Azerbaijan - Strong
Army resulted in a real change in the geopolitical structure of
Eurasia. The brave people and the Patriotic War under the
leadership of the Victorious Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, the
glorious Army of Azerbaijan ended the occupation, and justice was
restored. Today, the Republic of Azerbaijan enjoys high prestige on
the world stage and maintains admirable levels of economic and
financial growth.
Translated from Spanish by Fatima Hasanova
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