Azerbaijani leader: Justice for Khojaly ensured through anti‑terror operation

President Ilham Aliyev stated that the full restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity was the country's main priority, Report informs.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Khojaly Genocide Memorial in Khojaly town on February 26, the head of state noted that the period of preparation took a long time, and this was only natural.

"After I was elected President for the first time, I stated in my speech at the swearing-in ceremony that this was the key issue for us and that our territorial integrity must be fully restored. The period of preparation took a long time, and this was only natural. Because we had to gather strength, we had to grow stronger. We had to confirm our rightful cause on the international level, including the need to convey information about the war crimes of the Armenian state. We had to convey the truth about the Khojaly genocide, and we did convey it," President Aliyev noted.

"In recent years, many international organizations have had to adopt decisions and resolutions in support of our position - our just position. This formed the legal framework for resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. We have established close bilateral relations with a number of countries; we have strategic partnership relations with many countries. This has created an opportunity to communicate the realities of Azerbaijan, the realities of the Garabagh conflict, on the international level," he added.

"We have built a strong economy that is independent of anyone," the head of state said. "We have built a strong army - we have enhanced the professionalism of our army, and, at the same time, we have purchased weapons, ammunition, and equipment with the revenues we have received. In other words, with every day and every month, we were moving towards Victory, and I had said this many times during the occupation - every day we had to bring Victory closer, and so we did. In a matter of 44 days, we defeated the enemy, the enemy surrendered, signed the act of capitulation, and we stopped the war. Today, the history of the last two and a half years shows how correct and thoughtful this was. It is true Khojaly, Khankendi, and some other settlements had not yet been liberated from occupation at the time, but I knew, and I am sure that the people of Azerbaijan also knew, that this day was not far off. As a result of the anti-terrorist operation that lasted only a few hours in 2023, the illegal junta was eliminated, the occupiers were expelled from our lands, and the 15,000-strong Armenian army illegally settled in our lands was disarmed and surrendered. This was the final nail in the coffin of Armenian separatism. It was at that time that justice for Khojaly was secured."