Baku, Azerbaijan, April 2
By Samir Ali – Trend:
The April 2016 battles sparked panic among the Armenians, Azerbaijani MP Tahir Karimli told Trend April 2.
On April 2, 2016, all the frontier positions and settlements of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire by the Armenian Armed Forces. As a result of the shelling of Azerbaijan’s settlements located along the line of contact, civilians were killed, including two children. Numerous public and private facilities, including civil infrastructure, were severely damaged as a result of the attack.
Azerbaijan responded with an armed offensive, which resulted in four days of fighting, as the country liberated several important strategic spots previously occupied by Armenian Armed Forces.
As many as 30 tanks, up to 15 armored guns and fortifications belonging to the Armenians were destroyed, 320 Armenian soldiers were killed and more than 500 servicemen of the enemy were wounded during the clashes.
As a result of the successful counteroffensive, more than 2,000 hectares of territory were liberated from the Armenian occupation.
“The Armenians are still in mourning,” he said. “Before the April 2016 battles, the Armenians created a myth about themselves.”
"The Armenians created such a myth that supposedly in Soviet period there were generals and marshals among Armenians with combat experience,” he said. “According to this myth, supposedly despite the small number of Armenians, they can defeat Azerbaijan, etc.”
“But the unity of commanders and soldiers, as well as the advantage in high technologies shows that this myth of Armenians is just delirium,” Karimli said. “During the April battles, Azerbaijan liberated a big part of the occupied territories. This has once again proved that the Azerbaijanis have the will to liberate their lands.”
“A vivid example is the restoration work after the April battles in Azerbaijan’s Jojug Marjanli village and other territories liberated from the occupation,” he said. “If the big countries had not stopped these battles, Azerbaijan would have continued. After these events, everybody was alarmed because indeed, Azerbaijan has a strong army and the Armenians would lose, so the big countries did not allow the Armenians to lose completely and tried to stop the battles.”
"Unfortunately, these countries have begun to conduct propaganda again and do not give Azerbaijan the opportunity to liberate its lands from the occupation,” he said. “But the April battles proved that Azerbaijan is always capable of showing its will. Presently, Azerbaijan has such a great incentive for the liberation of our lands as the April battles, and this will happen."