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By Trend

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is one of the world's leading leaders today, Russian military expert, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko told Trend .

Korotchenko stressed that the Supreme Commander of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, President Ilham Aliyev played a key role in achieving the victory of Azerbaijan in the Second Karabakh War.

“During the years of his presidency, the Azerbaijani economy has been developing efficiently and steadily, which ensured the necessary inflow of funds, part of which was spent to strengthen the defense capability of the Azerbaijani army including the purchase of new types of cutting edge modern weapons and military equipment,” the expert added.

Korotchenko noted that the Azerbaijani political system has been strengthened during this period.

“Azerbaijan has gained the necessary importance and authority in the international structures and in the international arena,” the expert added.

“By the time when the war turned out to be inevitable, during another Armenian provocation, Azerbaijan carried out a full-scale operation,” Korotchenko said. “As a result, Azerbaijan gained a victory over Armenia and Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity was restored.”

The expert said that Operation Iron Fist is being studied today in the leading military academies of the world as a model for waging a modern high-tech, effective war.

Korotchenko stressed that two points that military experts and analysts are paying attention to are the unprecedented use of combat and reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as well as the effective use of special forces.

“Actually, the Shusha operation is being studied today as an example of the unprecedented success of the Azerbaijani special forces and the use of drones, which allowed Azerbaijan to achieve major success in the counter-offensive operation,” the expert said.

Korotchenko said that the Supreme Commander of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, President Ilham Aliyev directly supervised the hostilities, made all main decisions, analyzed the course of hostilities daily, held meetings with the senior command personnel of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, as well as other security agencies and special services.

“Thanks to his will, firmness and strategic outlook President Ilham Aliyev was able to organize the actions of the Azerbaijani army in such a way that Azerbaijan gained a victory over Armenia,” the expert said.

Korotchenko said that as a commander, as a politician, President Ilham Aliyev was ahead of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and thanks to the effective victory in a difficult war, today President Ilham Aliyev has become one of the leading world leaders.

As for providing the army with necessary weapons, Korotchenko stressed that Azerbaijan has diversified its sources of acquiring weapons.

“The Russian Federation has become one of the biggest sources,” the expert said. “Azerbaijan purchased Russian weapons worth more than $5 billion, which also created the basis of the military potential of the Azerbaijani army.”

Korotchenko said that moreover, weapons were purchased from Turkey, Israel and other countries.

“But it was important not only to buy weapons but to use them during the exercises,” the expert said. “The Azerbaijani army has worked out the methods and types of conducting modern offensive and defensive actions by using the latest types of weapons.”

Korotchenko added that the combat command and control system, which allowed to control and carry out effective command and control of troops, up to battalion tactical groups during the operations, and, of course, the communications system that ensured combat command, are worth mentioning.

“There were important components of the victory,” the expert said. “The Azerbaijani army is one of the best armies in the region today in terms of its technical equipment, fighting spirit and level of combat training.”

Korotchenko said that the practice has shown that Azerbaijan fulfilled those four resolutions of the UN Security Council, which called on Armenia to withdraw its armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories, by using weapons.

“Azerbaijan waged a just war of liberation, it was the Second Karabakh War,” the expert said. “The fighting spirit of the army, people, led by the President of Azerbaijan, rendered unprecedented support for entire Azerbaijan in this war.”

“We remember the queues at the military recruiting offices, we remember when Armenia attacked sleeping civilians in Azerbaijani cities by using operational-tactical missiles, but could not frighten Azerbaijan,” the expert said. “The Azerbaijani people united around the Supreme Commander of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces to gain victory.”

“We saw the full unity of the army and people,” Korotchenko said. “In fact, this was the basis of the victory that was achieved a year ago. Azerbaijan implemented the resolutions of the UN Security Council by using weapons.”

The expert said that there were Armenian occupiers in seven Azerbaijani districts, who during 30 years turned this territory into a lifeless desert.

“Everything, namely, cities, villages, settlements were completely destroyed,” Korotchenko said.

The expert added that nothing was left, everything was totally dismantled, destroyed by people, rather than as a result of time.

“We know that trucks were coming from Iran,” the expert said. “Having paid to the representatives of the Armenian illegal separatist regime, everyone could loot, plunder, destroy, demolish buildings and steal property.”

The expert said that therefore, duplicity is observed in Iran’s current position as it actively contributed to the destruction of everything that was occupied by the Armenian side and actually also dismantled and plundered the property of Azerbaijani citizens who fled, fearing the mass massacre by the Armenian invaders.

“In any case, the restoration of these territories is the number one task today,” Korochenko said. “Nothing was left there, no cities, no infrastructure.”

“I was surprised that even sewer pipes were dug out and removed in Aghdam district and only trenches remained instead of the city sewer system,” the expert said.

“I was shocked during my visit to Aghdam and Fuzuli districts when I saw the destroyed and looted cemeteries, the destroyed graves, monuments demolished from pedestals, smashed with sledgehammers and rifle butts,” the expert said.

“There are huge minefields,” Korochenko said. “All this must be cleared of mines, it is necessary to restore the destroyed facilities.”

Korotchenko stressed that Azerbaijan’s current activity on the restoration of the liberated lands is impressive.

“An ultra-modern international airport has already been built in Fuzuli district while the Victory Road is a world-class highway,” the expert said.

“The pearls of architecture and art destroyed by the Armenian occupiers are being restored,” Korotchenko said.

“A plan for the revival of cities is being implemented,” the expert said. “Aghdam will be a city of the 21st century. We'll soon see "Smart villages".”

“Azerbaijan will demonstrate masterpieces of urban planning of the 21st century, "smart cities", "smart villages",” Korotchenko added. “This is a new level of the world urban planning policy and we will see it soon.”

The expert said that there is no doubt that all these plans will be implemented in a short period of time, relying on Azerbaijan’s own resources, on the diligence of the Azerbaijani people, their desire to revive the lands which were a lifeless desert for 30 years.

Korotchenko stressed that the political system in Azerbaijan has proven its effectiveness and the economy is being successfully developed.

“By its own example, Azerbaijan will demonstrate the better future that a dozen other countries, in which there are still problems, may have,” the expert said.

“We know that at least half of the countries have a lot of problems and Azerbaijan will show how to solve these problems through its own effective development,” Korotchenko said.

The expert added that President Ilham Aliyev is a famous politician worldwide today, therefore, the initiatives that Azerbaijan is putting forward relate to the human civilization.

“Therefore, Azerbaijan is among those countries that formulate the international agenda for the international community thanks to its leadership in the Non-Aligned Movement, and in general, global initiatives at the level of the UN Security Council, including the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the initiatives of ensuring sustainable development,” Korotchenko said.

The expert said that the President of Azerbaijan, as a famous politician worldwide, will formulate and continue his work not only in the interests of Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus but also in the interests of the tasks and goals of sustainable development for human civilization.

As for the implementation of the trilateral statement, the military expert stressed that this process is being postponed, Armenia does not want to fulfill its obligations.

“First of all, Armenia must begin the process of the delimitation and demarcation of borders, must withdraw illegal armed formations from Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region,” the expert said.

Korotchenko said that Armenia must give the maps of the minefields to the Azerbaijani authorities.

“It is necessary to discuss a peace treaty, but the most important thing is to recognize each other's territorial integrity,” the expert said. “Azerbaijan is ready to do this.”

“As we see, Armenia is not ready yet,” Korotchenko said. “It was making provocations, now it is trying to delay the process and give an absolutely wrong interpretation of its obligations within the trilateral statement.”

“Of course, it is very important to restore transport routes in the region, to open the Zangazur transport corridor rapidly and to implement the "3 + 3" initiative, which will allow starting economic progress and development of the entire South Caucasus region,” the expert said.

Korotchenko said that if there is no goodwill in Yerevan, no initiatives will motivate Yerevan to do this.

“I think that the sooner Azerbaijan will restore the occupied territories, revive Shusha, Hadrut, the more attractive it will be for the Karabakh Armenians because they will face poverty, low standards of living, degradation and complete hopelessness,” the expert said.

The expert added that the faster Azerbaijan will revive the liberated territories, the faster the Karabakh Armenians will reach a better future and forget about Yerevan’s false messages, propaganda of the Armenian nationalists.

The expert said that the Armenian population of the Karabakh region will be able to reach this better future only as part of Azerbaijan as one of the peoples inhabiting multinational, multi-confessional, secular Azerbaijan.

Korotchenko thinks that the international community today is doing what it has been doing for 30 years - double standards.

“The international community is deceitful, vile, and cunning,” the expert said. “Armenian diasporas are actively working in France, the US, and a number of other countries, distorting reality and imposing double standards on the European politicians.”

The expert added that the international community considers the situation in the region through the Armenian views, so there must not be any illusions that the international community will help.

“Azerbaijani diplomacy must work actively,” Korotchenko said. “Azerbaijan should create opportunities to bring an objective point of view on the ongoing processes in the region and around it.”

The expert added that the most important thing is that it is necessary to intensify the expert and analytical community in comprehending and building the future of the South Caucasus region.

“It is necessary to implement initiatives that politicians are not ready or do not intend to discuss yet,” Korotchenko said.

“Therefore, experts and analysts must actively comprehend the problems, draw up the roadmaps, think how to persuade Armenia to fulfill the trilateral statement,” the expert added.

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