(MENAFN- AzerNews) President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady
Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughter Arzu Aliyeva have viewed the
progress of works carried out in the Talish village of the Tartar
district.
The head of state and the First Lady first viewed the Memorial
stone in the Talish village.
The valiant Azerbaijani Army under the leadership of President
of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed
Forces Ilham Aliyev liberated this strategic area from Armenia on
October 3, 2020. At one of the high points in the Talish village,
the Memorial stone was installed on which the text of the tweet
shared by the Commander-in-Chief was engraved on the day the area
was liberated from occupation.
Special Representative of the President of the Republic of
Azerbaijan in the liberated territories of the Karabakh Economic
Region (except Shusha district) Emin Huseynov informed the head of
state and the First Lady of the work done on the basis of the
master plan of the Talish village.
On October 4, 2021, the head of state raised the national flag
of the Republic of Azerbaijan at the Flag Square in the Talish
village. As part of the first stage of the repair and restoration
works carried out in the village, landscaping works were carried
out in the Flag Square.
The head of state and the First Lady viewed the conditions
created in the two-storey administrative building, the kindergarten
and the two-storey building of the 78-seat school.
The President of Azerbaijan lit the Novruz bonfire in the Talish
village and congratulated the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion
of the holiday.
Address of President Ilham Aliyev to the people of
Azerbaijan on the occasion of Novruz holiday
- Dear brothers and sisters.
I sincerely congratulate you on the upcoming Novruz holiday.
This is the third time I am sending my Novruz greetings to the
people of Azerbaijan from our native Karabakh. This is great
happiness. Today, we are honoring the memory of our heroic martyrs
who gave us this happiness. May Allah rest the souls of all our
martyrs in peace! I am sending my warm greetings to the heroic
Azerbaijani soldiers who gave us this happiness. We have regained
our native lands at the cost of their lives.
During the Second Karabakh War, the entire Azerbaijani people
were as united as a fist. I am sending my greetings to all the
people of Azerbaijan again. I wish the Azerbaijani people continued
success and victories!
Our lands were under occupation for nearly 30 years. Armenia
carried out a policy of ethnic cleansing against our people.
Hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis were forced out of their
native lands, became refugees and displaced persons. Acts of
genocide, injustice and war crimes were committed against our
people. We will never forget that. We must never forget that.
For 30 years, we raised our voice of justice in all
international organizations because of the occupation.
Unfortunately, there was no reaction to our words from any
institution. On the contrary, the mediators involved in the
Karabakh conflict tries not to solve the issue but to freeze it.
The new information that has been emerging over the two and a half
years since the Second Karabakh War confirms this again.
We have restored our rights, we have restored on the
battlefield. In 44 days, we expelled the contemptible enemy from
our lands and raised the Azerbaijani flag in Karabakh. This is the
brightest page of the centuries-old history of Azerbaijan. For 44
days, the people of Azerbaijan were united behind our army like a
fist. We liberated the occupied lands by shedding blood.
Unfortunately, Armenia has not yet learned the lessons of the
Second Karabakh War. Because we are seeing that revengeful forces
have risen in Armenia. Territorial claims against Azerbaijan and
Azerbaijani lands are still being put forward in Armenia. We are
warning the Armenian leadership to refrain from these dirty deeds.
We are also warning certain countries that stand behind Armenia
from here, from the liberated village of Talish, to stop these
dirty deeds. No external force can shatter the will of the state
and the people of Azerbaijan.
For 30 years, Armenia, as well as its patrons and allies, tried
to use various opportunities and means to prevent us from doing our
legitimate work. They wanted to tire us with meaningless
negotiations. They wanted us to come to terms with the
occupation.
So much effort was made to make us start cooperating with
Armenia during the occupation. The people and the state of
Azerbaijan overcame all those attempts by showing strong will.
Because ours is the cause of justice. During the occupation, I
repeatedly said that if the issue is not resolved peacefully, we
will liberate our native lands from the invaders through war.
Notice how impudent the Armenian leadership became – they wanted to
deprive of the Azerbaijani people of their legitimate rights by
saying“Karabakh is Armenia, full stop”. Unfortunately, the forces
behind Armenia, including the countries that co-chaired the Minsk
Group at the time, did not react to this statement in any way. And
now, after Azerbaijan has liberated its native land, just look at
how many unfair steps are being taken against us and how many shady
dealings are being committed. Armenia's patrons, the countries
involved in Armenia's policy of aggression have declared an
information war on us. In some countries, they organize certain
conferences and symposia related to the internal affairs of
Azerbaijan. Some pro-Armenian countries recognize the“independence
of Nagorno-Karabakh”, which is not on the world map and does not
exist in the territory of Azerbaijan. What does that mean? It means
that during the occupation, the only purpose of all those forces
was to perpetuate this occupation. They wanted not to resolve the
conflict, but to freeze it.
During the Second Karabakh War, so much pressure was put on us
and so much assistance was provided to Armenia. Several cargo
planes full of weapons were sent to Armenia on a daily basis.
Mercenaries from foreign countries were sent there. Armenia's
allies tried to stop us in different ways. But no-one could stand
in our way. I said that we would rather die than go back. Either
the freedom of Karabakh or death! No-one could stand in our way.
They cannot stand in our way today and won't be able to tomorrow
either. If someone thinks that the ugly plans drawn up against us
can succeed, they are wrong. Every dirty plan against us will be
met with our strong will, our strong policy and our Victorious
Army.
Notice what the Armenian leadership, which used to say that
“Karabakh is Armenia, full stop”, is saying now. Today, they are
asking us to give them the opportunity to live on an area of 29,000
square kilometers. Why didn't they say this during the occupation?
During the occupation, why did they attempt to annex all our
occupied lands under the name of the“Nagorno-Karabakh Republic”
and publish books about that? Why didn't international
organizations and certain pro-Armenian countries, who turned a
blind eye to these ugly and illegal acts, criticize Armenia at that
time? How much longer do we have to deal with double standards? How
much more hypocrisy do we have to face?
We applied force to restore our territorial integrity in
accordance with the UN Charter, liberated the territories of
Azerbaijan recognized by the international community, expelled the
enemy, crushed the Armenian army, and brought it to its knees. This
is our rightful duty. We are building and creating now, including
here in the village of Talish, in the settlement of Sugovushan, in
Hadrut, in Shusha and all other liberated lands. Armenia devastated
and plundered these territories. For 30 years, they dismantled the
stones from our buildings one by one and sold them in the markets
both in Armenia and in its neighboring country. But we are building
and creating.
Notice that less than a year after the reconstruction of the
village of Talish began, 20 families have already returned to the
Talish village and a total of 180 will return. In less than a year,
about 180 families will live in the Talish village. All
opportunities have been created here for these families. Everyone
can see the beautiful houses, schools, kindergartens and public
buildings that have been built here. Employment opportunities have
been created. We are a nation of builders. Unlike Armenia, we build
and create in our own territory.
Today, Armenia, which used to say that“Karabakh is Armenia,
full stop” and threatened us with a new war, is going out of its
way to find itself a new patron. They are showing to the world
again how treacherous and ungrateful they are. Now they are looking
for a new owner. They don't know whose feet to fall under. All this
is to no avail. There is one condition for them to live comfortably
on an area of 29,000 square kilometers – Armenia must accept our
conditions, officially recognize Karabakh as the territory of
Azerbaijan, sign a peace treaty with us and carry out delimitation
work according to our conditions. Only under these circumstances
can they live comfortably on an area of 29,000 square kilometers,
which is all they want now. If Armenia does not recognize our
territorial integrity, we will not recognize their territorial
integrity either. Armenia and the hypocritical countries behind it
should know what the result will be. They should know that no dirty
plan against us will work. We have power, we have friends, we have
a strong position in the world and we have a strong determination.
We demonstrated this during the war and in the post-war period.
The Talish village was liberated on October 3, 2020. A week
after the start of the Second Karabakh War, we already liberated
the village of Talish by shedding blood. At the same time, we
liberated the settlement of Sugovushan.
During the Second Karabakh War, that military operation was of
great importance. Because we waged our war of freedom in different
directions, including this direction. Therefore, the successes
achieved in this direction were of great importance for the future
course of the war. At the same time, it also raised the morale of
our Army and our people. Because the strategic importance of the
Talish village was obvious to everyone.
For 44 days, we were only moving forward and did not take a
single step back. We showed the strength and high moral qualities
of the Azerbaijani people on the battlefield for 44 days. Not a
single person deserted our Army. According to the latest
information, there were not 10,000 but 11,000 deserters in the
Armenian army. They should not forget this, and if they do, we will
remind them. Let no-one forget the results of the Second Karabakh
War. Everyone should accept the new realities. No-one should forget
that our lands had been under occupation for 30 years, and these
important factors for the future peace agreement should not be
forgotten. Because we see situations sometimes that as if there was
no war, as if there was no occupation, as if no-one turned Aghdam
into the“Hiroshima of the Caucasus”. They want to forget it and
make us forget it. It will never be the case. The realities of the
occupation, the realities of the war and the post-war realities
must and will be reflected in the peace negotiations. Otherwise,
there will be no peace agreement. If Armenia doesn't need it, we
don't need it either. Let's see what the end will be.
We are standing in our native Karabakh today, in our native
Zangezur land, and we will live here forever. The people of
Azerbaijan rightfully live with a sense of pride. Each of us,
including the Azerbaijanis living abroad, has been living with
pride for two and a half years. We have proved to everyone, to the
whole world that we are a great nation, and as a country that has
restored its territorial integrity on its own, we will continue to
only move forward. Just as we advanced for 44 days during the
Patriotic War, we are advancing and will continue to advance in all
fields and directions in the post-war period too.
I want to congratulate my dear people on the occasion of the
upcoming Novruz holiday from the bottom of my heart. Let me once
again complete my speech with the famous words,“Karabakh is
Azerbaijan!”
x x x
Then, President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and
their daughter Arzu Aliyeva familiarized themselves with the
conditions created in the Club community center.
The head of state and the First Lady got acquainted with the
repair and restoration works carried out in the private houses in
the Talish village.
20 houses were restored and reconstructed in the first stage. As
part of the Great Return Program, on March 16, 20 families living
in temporary residential areas in Baku, Tartar, Samukh, and
Goranboy were relocated to the Talish village of Tartar
district.
President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their
daughter Arzu Aliyeva visited the house of villager Ayyub
Akbarov.
President Ilham Aliyev: Hello.
Host Ayyub Akbarov: It is nice to meet you, Mr.
President. Long live our President.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Hello, I am
pleased to meet you. Congratulations!
Hostess Arzu Akbarova: Hello, Mrs. Aliyeva, you
are welcome.
President Ilham Aliyev: How are you?
Ayyub Akbarov: Great, how else can I be? When I
left here, I was a young man. I left at the age of 30.
President Ilham Aliyev: What year did you leave
here?
Ayyub Akbarov: I left in 1993. Thank God! I
can't believe my eyes.
President Ilham Aliyev: Was Talish village like
this back then?
Ayyub Akbarov: Yes.
President Ilham Aliyev: This is your home.
Ayyub Akbarov: Yes, this is my home.
Thankfully, I got a job as soon as we arrived. They gave me the
community center.
President Ilham Aliyev: Do you work there?
Ayyub Akbarov: Inshallah, I will employ 20-30
people here as well.
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, very good.
Ayyub Akbarov: Thank God, Mr. President, we
have everything, thank God.
President Ilham Aliyev: Let's have a look. When
did you come here? Two days ago?
Ayyub Akbarov: Yes, we came about a day or two
ago. Please come in.
President Ilham Aliyev: Dining room.
Ayyub Akbarov: We are very happy.
President Ilham Aliyev: Where did you live
before?
Ayyub Akbarov: We lived in Baku. But we always
believed that we would come here one day. We dreamed of going
back.
President Ilham Aliyev: Of course. It's been a
long time, but we're back.
Ayyub Akbarov: Thank God, we are back. You
know, Mr. President, at that time I was working here, on the farm.
The people of our village were engaged in viticulture. We lived in
fear. Now I am not afraid of anyone. We are not afraid of anyone
now.
President Ilham Aliyev: Now they are afraid of
us.
Ayyub Akbarov: Yes, of course, they are afraid
of us now. We are not afraid of anyone. Thank you, we have come
here, we will live and we will create here. We will also preserve
the charming beauty of this place.
President Ilham Aliyev: Inshallah.
Ayyub Akbarov: I have also talked with the
community here as an elder, and we will make this place even more
beautiful.
President Ilham Aliyev: This is only the first
stage, and 178 more houses will be built here and the people will
move in. Probably more than a thousand people will live here. What
did you do when you lived here, livestock breeding?
Ayyub Akbarov: We were engaged in farming, we
had vineyards. We cultivated them very well. The hated enemy
attacked us in February, as they did in Khojaly. In fact, they
attacked us at night. From here, we all went to Borsunlu village on
foot.
President Ilham Aliyev: To the village of
Borsunlu?
Ayyub Akbarov: Yes, to the village of Borsunlu.
We had finished pruning in the vineyards and were expecting a rich
harvest.
President Ilham Aliyev: So you were mainly
engaged in viticulture?
Ayyub Akbarov: Yes, the main thing was
viticulture, but we also grew potatoes. The soil is very
fertile.
President Ilham Aliyev: Now it is necessary to
restore everything. You will restore it all – grapes and
potatoes.
Ayyub Akbarov: Of course, we will do that. We
will not put the whole burden on the state. We are here now, so we
will create too.
President Ilham Aliyev: Everything is
available. There is water as well.
Ayyub Akbarov: Thank God.
President Ilham Aliyev: Conditions will be
created for people to engage in farming. The air is reminiscent of
a resort.
Ayyub Akbarov: Yes, we did not get sick when we
lived here, Mr. President.
President Ilham Aliyev: Of course, people stay
healthy here and don't get sick.
Ayyub Akbarov: We did not suffer from any
disease here. Now we will enjoy this charming scenery, this
beautiful weather. We are very happy to be back.
President Ilham Aliyev: Look what the Armenians
have done to these villages, to these places. All buildings were
destroyed. During the occupation, not a single stone was left
unturned. They only plundered, destroyed and demolished.
Ayyub Akbarov: Let me tell you something
interesting. My brother is in Germany. He owns a restaurant there.
He tells me that the eight people sitting in that corner are
Armenians. They are watching Talish. They say, look at those
places, it is Azerbaijan. So they are saying it themselves.
President Ilham Aliyev: This is just the
beginning.
Ayyub Akbarov: We are here, we don't set our
sights on anyone else's land. This is how we live. This is what our
people are like. We are a neat people. We are not a nation of
thieves. We have no claims to other people's land.
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes.
Ayyub Akbarov: We will live here for
centuries.
President Ilham Aliyev: Forever, forever.
Ayyub Akbarov: My sons, my grandsons, everyone
says that Karabakh is Azerbaijan. I look at those words, my
grandchildren come and read it, and they know it by heart. When a
child is born, we will whisper it into their ear – Karabakh is
Azerbaijan! Thank you again.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.
Ayyub Akbarov: When my President comes next
time, we will treat you to samovar tea.
President Ilham Aliyev: I will definitely come.
Let the village be fully built. I will definitely come when the
village is fully built.
x x x
Then, President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and
Arzu Aliyeva had a conversation with villagers.
President Ilham Aliyev: I sincerely
congratulate you on the occasion of the upcoming holiday and your
return to the Talish village.
Residents: Thank you very much.
President Ilham Aliyev: We are back and we will
live here forever.
Female resident: Inshallah.
President Ilham Aliyev: This is the first stage
of the Talish village. Look how beautiful it is. All the buildings
are wonderful.
Residents: May Allah protect you, may Allah
bless you.
President Ilham Aliyev: Probably, after a year
or so, all the remaining 158 houses will also be built.
Residents: May Allah grant you a long life.
President Ilham Aliyev: More than a thousand
people will live here. Thousands of people will live here
afterwards.
Residents: Inshallah.
President Ilham Aliyev: We have returned to our
native lands by shedding blood and giving martyrs. May Allah rest
the souls of all our martyrs in peace.
Residents: Amen.
President Ilham Aliyev: We have come here at
the cost of their lives, and we have now brought you here as well.
I know you have been here for two days now.
Residents: Thank you very much.
President Ilham Aliyev: All issues related to
employment, to working in public and state jobs have been resolved.
Karabakh is a paradise.
Female resident: It is Azerbaijan!
President Ilham Aliyev: It is Azerbaijan!
Residents: Can we have our picture taken?
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, let's do that.
Male resident: Thank you very much, may Allah
bless you. We are grateful to you for creating such conditions for
us. May Allah grant you a long life.
President Ilham Aliyev: Where did you live
before?
Male resident: We lived in the Barda district.
Now we are back to our own village. May Allah bless you.
Young girl: Mr. President, please allow me to
welcome you on behalf of the youth and other residents of the
Talish village.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.
Young girl: I am doubly proud now because I am
standing here on our lands freed from occupation. And also I am
standing in front of you. I know we were all looking forward to
this day. Thank God we have experienced this day. The liberation of
the Talish village from occupation was of great importance. Thank
you very much. May Allah bless you. Please let me say another thing
– we are also grateful to you for the conditions you have created
for the young people.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.
Residents: May Allah grant you a long life.
There is no limit to our joy, honestly. Can we have a picture taken
with you, Mr. President?
Another male resident: We are grateful to Allah
for granting you to us. May Allah grant you a long life.
President Ilham Aliyev: See how comfortable the
girl is in my arms?
Male resident: She isn't as comfortable even in
her father's arms.
Female resident: She is with her grandfather,
her grandfather. Thank you. Thank you very much.
Male resident: Mr. President, I want to inform
you that we are two brothers. We both fought for this village. Both
of us came to our village thanks to you. Our houses and yards are
all very beautiful indeed. Everything is done at a high level.
Thank you very much. We do appreciate that. May Allah rest the
souls of our martyrs in peace.
President Ilham Aliyev: Amen!
Male Resident: You have beaten them at the
table. We showed them everything on the battlefield. Thank you very
much for everything.
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, thank you.
Residents: May Allah protect you. Thank you
very much. May Allah bless you.
Male Resident: My brother and I fought
here.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very
much.
Male Resident: Thank you.
President Ilham Aliyev: This battle was very
important, as you know. It was a strategic location. After we had
liberated Talish, the Armenians saw that this was a serious
matter.
Male resident: Yes, thank you.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.
Female resident: Please take a picture of us
with the President.
President Ilham Aliyev: Let's do that.
Male resident: Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
Female resident: My daughter also wanted to
meet you, but she is not here now. She could not come.
President Ilham Aliyev: Will she come here?
Female resident: She will.
President Ilham Aliyev: Will she live here?
Female resident: She will be our guest.
Male resident: May Allah bless you. You have
provided us with a house. Thank you very much.
President Ilham Aliyev addressing a child: Tell
me what you wanted to say.
Resident: He says let's congratulate our
grandfather on the holidays too.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very
much.
Residents: Thank you very much. May Allah bless
you.
President Ilham Aliyev: There were many mines
here, as you probably know.
Resident: Yes, after 44-day war, I work here in
the Community Mine Action Team of the International Eurasian Press
Foundation. There are mines there, and I take part in clearing
them.
First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Mr. President,
please take this beautiful girl.
President Ilham Aliyev: Come on here.
Resident: Thank you, Mr. President.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. Thank you
very much.
Resident: You are welcome. We are grateful to
you. We are proud that you are here.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.
Resident: May Allah grant you a long life and
good health for creating such conditions for us. Honestly, our joy
is truly boundless.
Female resident: Our lands have been freed, we
are grateful.
Resident: Yes, this is the main thing. May
Allah grant you a long life and good health. Inshallah, our
President will bring all the lands of Azerbaijan together. We
believe in that.
Another male resident: We are proud that we
have such a strong President. Karabakh is Azerbaijan! May Allah
grant you a long life and good health. This is just the
beginning.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.
Resident: Your sincerity is enough for
anyone.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.
Resident: Thank you very much, may Allah bless
you.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much,
young girl, thank you very much.
Resident: Always be there for us.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very
much.
Resident: Mr. President, may Allah bless
you.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. Let's all
take a picture together. And let's all say“Karabakh is
Azerbaijan!”
All in one voice: Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
Resident: There is a church here.
President Ilham Aliyev: Up there. Yes, I have
been there.
Resident: We have found a book there. I have
read it. It is about Ottoman Turks.
Another resident: It belongs to the Ottomans,
not to the Albanians. We were the first and last residents of this
place.
President Ilham Aliyev: There was a church and
a Russian church there. I went and looked last time I was here. It
is in a run down state.
Resident: There was one up there, but it
belonged to the Ottomans, because I brought a book from there and
read it. It belonged to the Ottoman Empire. That church belonged
not to the Albanians, but to the Ottomans.
President Ilham Aliyev: Now the location of a
mosque has been determined there. So a mosque will be built.
Resident: We were the first and last residents
of this place. It was very nice. I used to work as a viticulture
foreman here.
President Ilham Aliyev: Was it a collective
farm back then?
Resident: Yes, it was engaged in viticulture. I
used to teach people about viticulture here. But there is nothing
left now.
President Ilham Aliyev: Table grapes or
technical varieties?
Resident: Those were grapes for wine, very
nice. The area of vineyards was very large, 100 hectares. And there
was a beautiful apricot orchard.
President Ilham Aliyev: It is now necessary to
plant all of them now. There is a lot of land, there is water, and
the air is nice. The best conditions for agriculture are here
now.
Resident: Thank you very much. Indeed, the land
is also fertile.
President Ilham Aliyev: The soil is black
soil.
Resident: There were many springs here. A river
flowed here, but we were stunned that the river is not there any
more.
President Ilham Aliyev: They built canals and
ponds in some places in Karabakh, so they stopped the flow of
water. You will be discovering things little by little now.
Resident: There were some beautiful springs at
the bottom of the mountain over there.
President Ilham Aliyev: Are they still there
now?
Resident: These places are ideal for tourists
now.
President Ilham Aliyev: Drinking water?
Resident: Yes, there are springs and drinking
water there.
President Ilham Aliyev: A school has been built
here and children will go to that school. There is also a
kindergarten.
Resident: Thank you very much.
President Ilham Aliyev: Of course, a lot of
work has been done here. It was our duty to retake these lands and
rebuild them, and then bring you here.
Female residents: Thank you very much. We
appreciate that.
Male resident: From now on, we are not going
anywhere. Even if the world falls apart, we are not going
anywhere.
President Ilham Aliyev: No-one can displace you
from now on.
Resident: Your representatives are also very
nice and sincere. We are grateful to all of you. Very good. We are
very pleased with you. May Allah be pleased with you and our
state.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank God, life will be
very good here. You deserve even more. You have suffered for 30
years here and there, in dormitories and tents. Now you have such
wonderful conditions.
Resident: May Allah rest the souls of all our
martyrs in peace. You worked the hardest, Mr. President. The whole
world couldn't cope with you, thank God.
Another resident: The whole world couldn't do
anything. May Allah bless you.
President Ilham Aliyev: You stood behind me.
This is why we said that we would rather die than retreat. This is
it.
Resident: We are always behind you.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much. We
are on the eve of the holidays. We wish you lovely holidays.
Resident: Thank you very much. We are grateful
to you, Mr. President.
President Ilham Aliyev: Goodbye.
Residents: Goodbye