BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 14. The vote I cast in Khankendi, the ballot paper I dropped in that ballot box was not just a ballot paper. It was the final nail in the coffin of Armenian separatists, President Ilham Aliyev said in his swearing-in ceremony, Trend reports.
"The anti-terror operation in September once again showed the strength of our Armed Forces. In a matter of just a few hours, the approximately 15,000-strong expeditionary corps of the Armenian army was completely paralyzed and was forced to sign the act of capitulation for the second time. With this, separatism in the territory of Azerbaijan was nipped in the bud. Azerbaijan fully restored both its territorial integrity and state sovereignty.
This is a historic event, and this historic event has a special place in our centuries-old history. The key distinctive feature and importance of this presidential election is that it was the first time in the period of independence that an election was held on the entire territory of our country. As you know, I cast my vote in Khankendi. I could vote anywhere in Azerbaijan, but I thought it would be more correct to vote in Khankendi. Bloody crimes against our people started in the late 1980s in Khankendi. It was in the building where I voted in Khankendi that the genocide against our people was planned and controlled from. It was in the square in front of the building where I voted that Armenian nationalists and then the Armenian state made territorial claims against us. It was in that building that a special committee was placed in Soviet times to sever Karabakh from Azerbaijan. The primary goal of that committee was to sever Karabakh from Azerbaijan, and everyone knows that. That is why the devils that illegally occupied our historical place for 30 years, the place built by Panahali Khan, confirmed their downfall there – as they had to, of course. The vote I cast there, the ballot paper I dropped into that ballot box was not just a ballot paper. It was the final nail in the coffin of Armenian separatists.
A new era begins now. We are entering this period with a clear face and with our heads held high. There will be further achievements in this era, and I have no doubt about that. Because the history of recent years shows that all the tasks we set for ourselves are fulfilled. Of course, the whole of Azerbaijan is entering this era, and the people who have demonstrated unity, including great unity in this election, will achieve even greater success. I have no doubt about that. The very positive atmosphere prevailing in Azerbaijani society makes us even stronger. A strong Azerbaijan has always been our goal. If we had not built a strong Azerbaijan, if we had depended on someone else, either politically or economically, we would never have been able to restore our territorial integrity. As part of the lengthy negotiations, some unfinished proposals were put forward to us many times. However, those proposals were unacceptable for us. I always said that the Azerbaijani flag would fly in every part of our territory," President Ilham Aliyev said.