BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec. 1
Trend:
Today, after the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces, the Lachin region returns to Azerbaijan, Trend reports.
According to a trilateral statement signed on November 10 this year by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, the Armenian armed forces should withdraw from the Lachin region and it should be returned to Azerbaijan by December 1.
The Lachin region was occupied by the Armenian armed forces on May 18, 1992. During the defense of the region, 264 people were killed, 65 were taken hostage, 103 became disabled. Six people from the region were awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan. Of the 24,374 children in the region aged from one to 16 years old, 18 became martyrs, 225 became disabled, 1,071 children lost one, and 31 children lost both parents. 65,507 IDPs from Lachin region were accommodated in 59 cities and regions of Azerbaijan
During the occupation, the area suffered $ 7.1 billion in damage.
217 cultural institutions, 101 educational institutions, 142 health care institutions, 462 trade facilities, 30 communication facilities, two motor transport and other production facilities were looted and destroyed. More than 200 historical monuments of local and 54 monuments of world importance were destroyed. These include the Albanian Agoglan monastery (6th century), the tomb of Malik Azhdar (14th century), a mosque in the village of Garagishlag, and an ancient cemetery in the village of Zabukh. Lachin History Museum and an old collection of gold, silver and bronze coins were plundered. An exhibit from the Lachin History Museum - a bag made of silver - was sold for $80,000 at Sotheby's in London.