Azernews.Az

By Sabina Mammadli

President Ilham Aliyev writes another great history by gathering representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Shusha, Karabakh war veteran and political expert Elshad Hasanov has said.

Speaking to Trend, Hasanov emphasized the symbolic significance of holding an event of this magnitude in Shusha and described the fifth Congress of World Azerbaijanis in Shusha as a great historical event.

Hasanov stressed that the arrival of our compatriots from all over the world to Karabakh, the participation of representatives of the diaspora in the congress in Shusha pleases all Azerbaijanis.

“Once again we are proud of our Victory. Today, the attention of the whole world is riveted to Karabakh, to Shusha, the center of our culture,” the expert added.

Talking about the victory, he added that Azerbaijan has shown the whole world that it is a strong country and a heroic nation. He noted that the country has liberated its lands with its own forces.

“Now the Azerbaijanis of the world have gathered in Karabakh, in Shusha. Azerbaijani President, Victorious Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev gave us this happy opportunity. He is the author of our victories. President Ilham Aliyev has exceptional merit to the state of Azerbaijan. Under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, we defeated the enemy on the battlefield, showed the world the true face of the Armenian diaspora," Hasanov said.

Furthermore, the veteran underlined the important role of national leader Heydar Aliyev in the formation of the Azerbaijani diaspora, as well as the diaspora's development and strengthening in recent years under President Aliyev's strict control, and the challenges it faces.

"The congress in Shusha sets new goals and defines new tasks. We must build our activities more dynamically. We must not allow the Armenian diaspora to raise its head again," Hasanov said.

The fifth Congress of World Azerbaijanis kicked off in the city of Shusha on April 22.

Some 400 diaspora representatives from 65 countries attend the conference.

Following its victory over Armenia in the 44-day war in 2020, Azerbaijan has organized a number of international and domestic events in Shusha.

Shusha was occupied by Armenian forces on May 8, 1992, and liberated by Azerbaijan during the 44-day war on November 8, 2020.

Shusha was declared Azerbaijan’s cultural capital by the presidential decree on May 7.

Apart from Shusha, 300 other city centers, villages, and settlements were liberated from Armenian occupation during the war in 2020. Following the liberation of Shusha, the Azerbaijani, Russian, and Armenian leaders signed a trilateral peace treaty on November 10. The peace treaty called for the return of Azerbaijan's Kalbajar, Aghdam, and Lachin regions, which had been occupied by Armenia since the early 1990s.

--