President Ilham Aliyev declares 2022 as “Year of Shusha”
By Vugar Khalilov
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has declared 2022 as a “Year of Shusha”, Azertag reported on January 1, 2022.
Aliyev made the remark in his address to the nation on the occasion of the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis and the New Year, the report added.
“In 2022, we will celebrate the 270th anniversary of Shusha. Panahali Khan laid the foundation of Shusha in 1752, and we will celebrate this anniversary with great solemnity in the coming year. Taking into account this glorious history and in order to accelerate the restoration of Shusha, I declare the new year a “Year of Shusha”,” President Aliyev said.
"Development is in evidence in all regions of Azerbaijan. The regional development program is being successfully implemented. This year, I have made effort to find additional opportunities through numerous visits to the regions, and my visits are of regular nature. I visited the regions of Azerbaijan 47 times this year, 32 of which were visits to liberated lands. I went to Shusha alone seven times. We have started large-scale construction work in Shusha, and naturally, the largest-scale restoration work among the liberated lands is being carried out in Shusha. At the same time, large-scale work is being and will be carried out in other cities and villages," he added.
“Today, I am sure that the Azerbaijanis of the world, whatever country they may live in, are keeping their head high, are confident and are justifiably proud of their historical homeland Azerbaijan,” Aliyev stressed.
Shusha, which was occupied by Armenian forces on May 8, 1992, was liberated from Armenia's occupation on November 8, 2020. The city, which played a critical role in liberating Karabakh, is located on the road to Khankandi, the region's largest city.
A Moscow-brokered ceasefire deal that Baku and Yerevan signed on November 10, 2020, brought an end to six weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s.
The peace agreement stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Armenian-occupied Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions and withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s. Before the signing of the deal, the Azerbaijani army had liberated around 300 villages, settlements, city centers, and historic Shusha city.
On May 7, 2021 President Aliyev declared the historic Shusha city the country’s cultural capital. An immediate inventory of the damage to the city, its historical and cultural heritage and nature was carried out, and restoration work was started. In order to ensure the efficiency of restoration works, great attention was paid to public administration in Shusha. Special envoy of the Azerbaijani President was appointed in the city.
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