Chronicles of Victory (September 30, 2020): President Ilham Aliyev, First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva meet with wounded servicemen undergoing treatment at Central Military Clinical Hospital of Defense Ministry (PHOTO/VIDEO)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 30. The
Azerbaijani Army launched a counter-offensive operation, later
called the "Iron Fist", on September 27, 2020, in response to the
large-scale provocation of the Armenian armed forces along the
frontline.
The 44-day second Karabakh war ended with the liberation of
Azerbaijan’s territories from nearly 30-year Armenian occupation
and the restoration of territorial integrity.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief of
the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva have
met with the servicemen wounded during the Armenian military
provocation that launched on September 27 and treated at the
Central Military Clinical Hospital of the Defense Ministry.
Minister of Defense Colonel General Zakir Hasanov reported to
President, Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev.
The head of state made a speech at the meeting.
Speech of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham
Aliyev
- May Allah grant you healing. Dear guys, you received various
injuries, you were wounded in the battles for the Motherland. The
doctors are taking good care of you. I am sure that the doctors
will do their best for you to recover as soon as possible and
return to normal life.
According to the information provided to me, all our wounded
soldiers and officers live with the desire to recover soon and go
back to the zone of military action, to continue the just war for
the Motherland. Ours is the cause of justice, we are fighting on
our own lands, we are fighting for the Motherland. We are fighting
for a fair cause, and I am sure that in this conflict we will
achieve what we want. Justice will be done and Azerbaijan will
restore its territorial integrity. Our compatriots who have been
living as IDPs for many years will also return to their native
lands.
As you know, special attention is being paid to the families of
martyrs in our country, and all necessary work is being done by the
state. I can say that Azerbaijan can be considered an exemplary
country in the world for the attention being paid to the families
of martyrs. You know that on my instructions, all the families of
martyrs are provided with apartments and houses by the state. This
year alone, 1,500 families of martyrs will be provided with housing
by the state. In the next two to three years, the families of our
heroic sons who died in the first Karabakh war will be fully
provided with houses and apartments. We still have martyrs today.
We have had martyrs in the battles for the Motherland. May Allah
rest their souls in peace, may Allah give patience to their
families and relatives. Their blood does not and will not remain
unavenged. The enemy is receiving a fitting rebuff.
At the same time, the state provides the necessary support to
the veterans of Karabakh. Their day-to-day problems are being
solved. You can also be sure that the state will be by your side,
the doctors are doing and will do everything possible for you to
recover here as soon as possible and return to normal life.
Azerbaijan is fighting on its own lands and you have been
wounded on the path to justice. Our soldiers are saviors, while
Armenian soldiers are occupiers. That is the difference. We are
fighting on our own lands, while an Armenian soldier dies on the
land of another state – Azerbaijan. I want to address the Armenian
people and urge them not to become hostages of the ugly deeds of
their leadership. Let them hold their government accountable today.
They should not send their children to Azerbaijan. What is the
Armenian soldier doing in Azerbaijan? We are fighting on our own
lands. Our soldiers and officers are dying on their own lands, are
getting wounded on their own lands, and we are liberating our own
lands. During the fighting that has been ongoing for four days now,
the Azerbaijani Army successfully conducted an operation and
liberated strategic heights and several settlements. We are
returning to these lands after a long break. We have hoisted our
flag on these lands and no-one can take us out of these lands. We
must restore our territorial integrity. This is why the Armenian
people must understand this, the head of state said: "The Armenian
people must understand that it is a crime to occupy the land of
another state for 30 years, destroy all buildings and historical
sites, expel more than 1 million people from their homeland and
commit genocide against the Azerbaijani people. We are restoring
historical justice, historical justice! Karabakh is our native,
ancient and historical land. Suffice it to look at the history of
the Karabakh khanate to see that the people of Azerbaijan have
lived, built and created on these lands for centuries. Our sacred
city of Shusha was built by the Azerbaijanis. The lands under
occupation today are our historical lands. Our cause is the cause
of justice. We want to restore our territorial integrity, we have
the right to do so, we are doing it and we will do it.
If the Armenian people want to live in peace, they should hold
their government accountable. Because the misfortune of the
Armenian people lies in the fact that for many years they were
governed by a bandit criminal regime, the regime that committed
genocide against the Azerbaijanis only in its own personal
interests and keeps our lands under occupation. I am sure that the
Armenian people will understand my words correctly. We have nothing
against the Armenian people. Azerbaijan is a multinational state,
many nations live here in peace and tranquility, including the
Armenian people. Thousands of Armenians live on the territory of
Azerbaijan. No-one says anything to them, they are our citizens.
Therefore, our struggle is a struggle for a just cause. We are
right from the point of view of history, from the point of view of
international law, from the point of view of justice. Azerbaijani
soldiers and officers are fighting for their native land. Fierce
battles are under way in Fizuli, Jabrayil and other occupied
territories today, we are suffering losses, our veterans and
servicemen are getting wounded. But this fight is a fight for a
just cause. Therefore, I want to say again that our cause is just,
historical truth, international law and justice are on our side by
100 percent.
On 27 September, the Armenian armed forces committed another
military provocation against us. I warned them. I spoke to them
from the UN rostrum. I told the entire international community that
Armenia is preparing for a new war and that Armenia must be
stopped. Unfortunately, the international community and the parties
involved in this issue were unable to influence the Armenian
government at the required level. If they cannot stop the occupier,
then the Azerbaijani soldier will stop them. The Azerbaijani
soldier will remove them from our lands and restore justice. I said
that if the military provocations committed against us in July and
August are repeated, then Armenia will regret it, and I stand my
ground. The advantage gained on the battlefield, our liberated
settlements and strategic heights once again show that Azerbaijani
soldiers, Azerbaijani officers are fulfilling their civic duty with
dignity.
Armenia must end its policy of occupation. Instead, the prime
minister of Armenia puts forward conditions. He put forward seven
conditions to us. I said some time ago that we reject these
conditions. We have one condition – they must leave our lands
unconditionally, completely and immediately. This condition is
still in force, and if the Armenian government fulfills it, the
fighting will stop, blood will not be shed, there will be peace.
Peace will come to our region. We want peace, we want a solution to
the issue. Otherwise, we would not have cherished hopes for
negotiations for 30 years. The only reason we remained committed to
the negotiation was that there was hope. We were encouraged, they
sent us signals that we should bear with them a little and the
issue would be resolved. But I said that the Azerbaijani people
will never accept this occupation. I said that if the issue is not
resolved through negotiations, then Azerbaijan has every right to
resolve this issue by military means. The Azerbaijani people gave
us this right, the norms of international law gave us this right.
The charter of the highest international body of the world, the
United Nations, states that every state has the right to
self-defense, and we are exercising it to defend ourselves. Having
launched a counteroffensive, we are inflicting crushing blows on
the enemy.
It is not too late. I want to say again: Armenia must vacate our
lands immediately. You know that the leaders of various
international organizations and different countries are calling me,
enquire about this issue, express their views. My word is the same
– both internationally and domestically. We are on the right path,
the battles are going on in Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan is restoring its
territorial integrity, and we have every right to do so. Because no
country in the world recognizes the so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh
republic. This is our historical land. From the point of view of
international law as well, this is our land.
I am confident that Azerbaijan will restore its territorial
integrity. There is high morale in the army. You know that too.
There is high morale in society. I have been receiving many letters
every day for the last three to four days, both from citizens of
the country and from other countries. Most letters from abroad come
from brotherly Turkey. In those letters, our Turkish brothers
express their desire to fight with us for this just cause. I
express my appreciation to them. But I want to say again that there
is no need for that. The Azerbaijani Army is quite strong and
well-equipped. We must resolve this issue so that historical
justice is restored. At the same time, on behalf of all of us and
all the people of Azerbaijan, I express my deep gratitude to
brotherly Turkey, its President, my brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
for his resolute and brotherly position. Because my dear brother's
very open and harsh statements show again that Azerbaijan is not
alone. Turkey is with Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan is always with
Turkey!
I have already said this but I want to say again that these
bloody battles are the moment of truth for us, for the entire
Azerbaijani people. We see who is who. We see that sometimes those
who say nice words and make good statements do not keep their word.
One thing is said and a different is done. But Turkey, Pakistan and
Afghanistan have unequivocally supported Azerbaijan. You know,
there is an international format for negotiations. Unfortunately,
this format has not achieved any results. Therefore, in the current
situation, calls for dialogue from any side are not relevant. This
is done by international organizations, the UN is doing it. We
naturally accept that. The OSCE is doing this and we accept it
because the OSCE has the mandate. But when someone says to us,
‘let's start such a dialogue, we will also help’, there is no need
for that. Now is the moment of truth. Which side are you on? Truth
or lie? On the side of a friend or an enemy? This is the moment of
truth for me, for our people, for all of us.
Of course, we will never forget the countries, organizations and
people who support us these days. You know that Azerbaijan has
strong positions in the world. In recent years, we have carried out
quite effective activities in international organizations and have
been able to prove our case. We had to prove our case. We can
already say that all major international organizations support our
position. The UN, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the
Non-Aligned Movement, the European Parliament, the OSCE – all these
organizations have issued statements in support of our position. We
are grateful for that. This is the legal side of the issue. As for
the historical side, the historical truth is on our side. Anyone
can go online and read. There are materials related to the history
of the Karabakh Khanate. There is information about the inclusion
of the Karabakh Khanate into the Russian Empire. There is
information about the Kurekchay peace treaty. On the one hand, the
Kurekchay peace treaty was signed by Ibrahim Khalil Khan of Shusha
and Karabakh. This is the way he is referred to in the agreement –
Ibrahim Khalil Khan of Shusha and Karabakh. On the other hand, it
was signed by a general of Tsarist Russia. There is not a word
about the Armenian people in the Kurekchay peace treaty. What does
this mean? This means that there was no Armenian population there
at that time, they were resettled there after that. When they were
settled there, they put forward territorial claims against us.
Therefore, we are absolutely right. Our fight is a fight for
justice. We will not deviate from our principled position. I have
repeatedly spoken about this from all international platforms and I
say today that we are on the path of justice. We must restore our
territorial integrity and we will restore it.
The information I receive shows that the events of the last
three to four days do not become a lesson for the Armenian
leadership. They are preparing new provocations, they want to
bombard our settlements again and continue to do this. Our civilian
casualties are growing every day. According to information as of
yesterday morning, 10 of our civilians were killed. According to
information provided to me this morning, the number of civilians
killed has reached 13. What does this mean? This demonstrates the
ugly face of Armenian fascism. We have never fought against
civilians. As soon as the counter-offensive operation began, I
instructed all our commanders and the Ministry of Defense that no
action should be taken against the civilian population. Our goal is
the positions, equipment and manpower of Armenia’s armed
formations. But they bombard our villages and cities, 13 civilians
were killed, more than 40 civilians were wounded, 168 houses were
destroyed. This is the face of Armenian fascism. They cannot resist
us on the battlefield, therefore they strike at our villages and
towns. But all our compatriots living there are there and everyone
says ‘Long live the Motherland’. They have not retreated a
centimeter and, I am sure, will not do that. They are confident
that the Azerbaijani army will protect them. They are looking
forward to the moment when the Azerbaijani flag is raised in the
occupied territories and the occupation ends.
I want to congratulate you. At a young age, you showed true
heroism and courage, fought for your Motherland with dignity and
inscribed your names in the history of Azerbaijan. At the same
time, it is very difficult for me, for all of us to see you in this
state. But you can rest assured that we will do everything
necessary for your health. Everyone who is undergoing treatment in
all our hospitals, in our military hospitals now deserves special
care, and all our doctors, in fact, not only doctors, but also our
entire people should support you. You can be sure that the state
will be by your side. We dream of one thing – for you to get well
as soon as possible, return to normal life and continue your
glorious mission. You should be an example for the young people.
The people of Azerbaijan are a heroic people, because they raised
sons like you.
I want to take this opportunity to pay a tribute of respect to
your parents and the parents of our other wounded and martyred
servicemen. I want to thank them on my own behalf and on behalf of
all the people of Azerbaijan. They have raised heroic children. I
am sure that both them and all the people of Azerbaijan are proud
of you. We will win, Karabakh is ours, Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
Major Etibar Jamalov: Mr. Commander-in-Chief, Mr. President,
thank you very much! Indeed, the Azerbaijani soldier stopped the
enemy and gave them a fitting rebuff. Today, everyone is ready to
return to the front line. We are proud of your great words. We are
always ready to burn like a candle for our land, for our state.
Many thanks to the medical staff, they are looking after us very
well. We are ready to return to the front line with all our
fighting friends in the near future. Thank you very much!