Victory Day

On the occasion of Victory Day - a glorious chapter not only in our modern history, but also in the history of our entire statehood - I attended and spoke at an event organised by the Baku Engineering University.

In my speech, I emphasised that the foundations of the path to the Great Victory were laid by the successful military and diplomatic policies of the national leader Heydar Aliyev. I interpreted the statement of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev that "our people have restored their territorial integrity, sovereignty and dignity on the battlefield" from the perspective of political, international law and unity of people and government.

As a result of the successful counter-offensive operation launched by the Azerbaijani army in Karabakh on 27 September 2020, five cities, four towns and 286 villages were liberated by 9 November. During the 44-day Patriotic War, in addition to President Ilham Aliyev's military activities as Commander-in-chief, his efforts in the fields of information and propaganda also represented a political and diplomatic success for Azerbaijan. Through more than 30 interviews with the world's most important media, our President conveyed the facts about the conflict to the international community during the war. By turning these interviews into a real tool of struggle and influence, President Aliyev succeeded in changing the global perception of the conflict.

As a consequence, attempts by international organisations to exert pressure on our country were successfully averted. As a result of the Patriotic War, our state has ensured the implementation of the demands of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions adopted in 1993, thereby creating a new political environment based on international law that promotes sustainable stability, peace and cooperation in the region. The complete elimination of the destructive consequences of Armenia's 30-year illegal military occupation, including the clearance of 12% of our territory from 1.5 million landmines and unexploded remnants of war, will take many years and a large amount of financial resources.

Through the construction and rehabilitation works carried out by our state in the liberated territories with its own resources, the gradual return of internally displaced persons under the "Great Return" programme will be realised.

Rizvan Nabiyev, Member of the National Assembly (Milli Majlis).