Five years of the Great Victory: the triumph of justice and the revival of Karabakh

Five years have passed since those historic days when the Azerbaijani people, under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, won a brilliant victory in the 44-day Patriotic War for the liberation of our occupied lands. This victory, achieved after nearly thirty years of waiting for justice, has become a symbol of historical truth, national dignity, and the restoration of justice for our people.

Azerbaijan waited patiently for nearly 30 years for the international community to react to the occupation of our lands and recognize the scale of injustice against one million refugees and internally displaced persons.

However, time passed, UN resolutions remained on paper, and the aggressor continued to strengthen in the occupied territories. When the people’s patience ran out, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, Ilham Aliyev, made the only correct historical decision to liberate the occupied lands by giving an adequate, legal, and fair response to Armenia’s next provocation.

This war became a real Patriotic War for Azerbaijan. For 44 days, virtually no family was left out of this historical event. The entire nation breathed life into the front, waiting for news from there, rejoicing in victories, mourning the martyrs. In those days, Azerbaijan had become a single organism, everyone felt personal responsibility for the fate of the Motherland.

The collective of our company was not aloof from the events taking place. When the Supreme Commander-in-Chief announced the start of military counter-offensive operations to liberate the historical lands of Azerbaijan from occupation, our employees, like all the children of our people, greeted this news with great enthusiasm and pride. Everyone understood that the hour had come when the fate of the Motherland would be decided, and therefore they worked with even greater determination, a deep sense of unity and responsibility.

We had created a special headquarters in our office, where every day we discussed the latest news from the front together, made decisions on providing all kinds of assistance to soldiers, visiting the wounded in hospitals, and participating in the funeral ceremonies of our martyrs. Each of our male team members was ready to go to the defense of the homeland, raising the Azerbaijani flag on their heads. About fifty of our employees were called up to the ranks of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. Two of them, honorably fulfilling their civic duty, heroically died on the battlefield, inscribing their names in the immortal Victory chronicle. Today, forty-five veterans of the Karabakh war work in our team – living witnesses and participants of those heroic days. We commemorate the memory of our martyred colleagues with deep gratitude.

The Victory changed not only the fate of Azerbaijan, but also the geopolitical map of the entire region. Azerbaijan turned from a country waiting for support into a state capable of independently solving its strategic tasks, protecting its interests, and dictating the terms of peace. Azerbaijan’s image on a global scale as an example of strength, determination, justice, and humanism was strengthened.

Today, our country is spoken of with respect as a factor of stability and peace in the South Caucasus, and the name of Azerbaijan is associated with construction, trust, and justice.

The victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev played an indispensable role not only in achieving military victory, but also in creating a new model of restoration of the liberated lands. Over the past five years, Karabakh and East Zangezur have turned into a huge construction site. Modern cities, roads, airports, power lines, factories are being built on the site of cities and villages destroyed as a result of the Armenian occupation. Today, more than 60 thousand people work in these territories, building new lives. Shusha, Fuzuli, Zangilan, Agdam, Lachin, Kalbajar, Jabrayil – cities that have become symbols of Azerbaijan’s revival and a new era are coming to life again.

Azerbaijan has never claimed foreign lands. But it will not give its own to anyone – this is the firm position of our people and the country’s leadership. Victory in 2020 – thanks to the will of the people and the wisdom of the leadership, has become convincing evidence that justice and courage always win.

The five years since the Victory have been a period of creativity, not revenge. Azerbaijan pursues a consistent policy of good neighborliness and cooperation with all countries of the region, including Armenia. We have proven to the whole world: Azerbaijan does not need conflict; it needs a lasting, just and mutually beneficial peace. This Victory is not just a military victory. It is a symbol of the spiritual revival of a people, its strength and unity.

We bow to the memory of our martyrs, thank our veterans, and are proud to live in a time when the centuries-old dream of the Azerbaijani people to return Karabakh has come true.

The five years of the Victory are five years of new opportunities, confidence and creativity. May this path, which began with heroism and ended with victory, always be continuous!

Azer Askerov