TurkPA welcomes return of Lachin city, Zabukh & Sus villages under Azerbaijan's control
By Sabina Mammadli
The Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TurkPA) welcomed the return of the city of Lachin and the villages of Zabukh and Sus under Azerbaijan's control as part of the ongoing process in line with the provisions of the Trilateral Statement of November 10, 2020, Azernews reports.
In the statement, the assembly reiterated its commitment to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of brotherly Azerbaijan and supported efforts for the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Further, TurkPA expressed confidence that the development will contribute to achieving lasting peace, stability, and sustainable development in the South Caucasus.
Earlier, Turkish Ambassador Cahit Bagci said that Lachin was returned to Azerbaijan thanks to the determination and will of the Azerbaijani state.
On August 27, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a phone call to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, conveying joy to the head of state and all the people of Azerbaijan as the city of Lachin, Zabukh and Sus villages were taken under Azerbaijan`s control.
Earlier, Lachin city, where ethnic Armenians from Syria and Lebanon were settled, was temporarily controlled by Armenian separatists and the Russian peacekeepers to provide communication between Armenia and Karabakh region. Under the November 10, 2020, trilateral statement, signed by the Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders, the city should be handed over to Azerbaijan after the completion of a new road, which would be an alternative to the Lachin corridor.
Following the completion of the new road bypassing Lachin, Azerbaijan demanded Armenia clear the unlawfully occupied city and adjacent settlements by August 25.
The trilateral ceasefire deal, signed by the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders with the mediation of the Russian president on November 10, 2020, ended the three-decade conflict over Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region, which along with the seven adjacent regions came under the occupation of Armenian armed forces in the war in the early 1990s.
The deal also stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin districts. Before the signing of the peace deal, Azerbaijan liberated 300 villages, settlements, city centers, and historical Shusha city that had been under Armenian occupation for about 30 years.
Meanwhile, Maj-Gen Kanan Seyidov, commander of the army corps, reported from the Lachin city center to President Ilham Aliyev, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, on the location of the Azerbaijani army in Lachin.
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