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We did not want war, we do not want it today either, says Azerbaijani president

Politics Materials 26 June 2021 21:28 (UTC +04:00)
We did not want war, we do not want it today either, says Azerbaijani president

BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 26

Trend:

We did not want war. We do not want it today either, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev said addressing the meeting with a leadership and a group of military personnel of Azerbaijani Army on the occasion of the Armed Forces Day at Gulustan Palace, Trend reports.

"The April fighting was not a lesson for Armenia. Two years later, as a result of the Nakhchivan operation, we took over a large area, demonstrating our strength and professionalism once again. That did not serve them as a lesson either. Finally, the second Karabakh war was a lesson that they will remember forever. The second Karabakh war is our glorious history. This history will live in the hearts of the Azerbaijani people forever. It was a celebration of justice. It was a celebration of pride, a celebration of national dignity, a celebration of the indomitable spirit of the Azerbaijani people. We mobilized all our resources, won this war and drove the enemy out of our lands. We put the enemy in such a disgraceful situation that they knelt before us, waved the white flag and were forced to sign an act of capitulation. However, during the war, I repeatedly said in my speeches and interviews that we were ready to stop. As President, I declared that the Armenian leader should personally provide us with a timetable of when Armenian military units would leave our lands, provide a date to us, and we will stop the war. However, the Armenian side lost this chance yet again. As a result of the war, the Armenian army was completely crushed. I voiced these figures before, so you know them very well. You have destroyed the Armenian army, there is no Armenian army any longer – 336 tanks were destroyed or taken as spoils of war. Eight S300 installations were destroyed, other anti-aircraft systems were destroyed, artillery pieces were destroyed. In other words, there is no Armenian army any longer. During the war – it is no longer a secret – the mediators sent a message to Armenia that it is necessary to stop and provide a timetable for the withdrawal. But they refused. After we had liberated Shusha from the occupiers, they were forced to sign an act of capitulation in the early hours of 10 November,” Azerbaijani president said.

“We showed strong resolve and courage. We demonstrated national spirit and achieved what we wanted. I want to say again that the second Karabakh war is forever inscribed in the history of Azerbaijan in golden letters as a glorious victory. From now on, Azerbaijan will live as a victorious state and Armenia as a defeated country,” President Aliyev said.

“I can say that the second Karabakh war was inevitable. Everyone knew that. The Azerbaijani public knew that, the international mediators knew that, and so did we. There were only hopes that the Armenian leadership would at least show the self-defense instinct and leave our lands of its own free will. If that had happened, there would have been no need for war. We did not want war. We do not want it today either. I think that various initiatives should be put forward in our region, in the South Caucasus to reduce the risk of war to zero. We are ready for that. We do not need war. We have achieved what we wanted, and a new era has already begun for us – an era of construction, an era of restoration of our lands,” Azerbaijani president said.

“But this should be a lesson for Armenia. Because they must finally understand that this hostility towards us cost them dearly. What did they achieve? Nothing! They have failed to build an independent state in 30 years. Armenia today cannot be considered an independent state. How can it be independent if it entirely depends on external circles. It is completely dependent on foreign military aid. It depends entirely on political orders from abroad. They had 30 years, why couldn't they build an independent country? Because of the occupation of our lands. This occupation has brought them to this plight. This hostility, the hatred of the Azerbaijani people brought them to this state, and justice triumphed. Sometimes we think in different situations that there is no justice. We wonder why there is no justice. One just has to be patient. One needs to wait for the right time and work every day towards one’s goal. Every day we brought this day closer. The Karabakh issue was the first, issue on my agenda every day as President. Every single day. Every day, I thought what else should be done to achieve this victory and to liberate our lands. We demonstrated it,” the head of state said.

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