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President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Victorious Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev visited the Victory Monument in Khankendi on the occasion of November 8 – Victory Day and laid a wreath at the monument.

The head of state congratulated the people of Azerbaijan on Victory Day.

Congratulatory address by President Ilham Aliyev

- I sincerely congratulate my dear people and the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan on the occasion of Victory Day.

May the souls of our soldiers and officers who were martyred in the Patriotic War rest in peace. May Allah have mercy on all our martyrs. At the cost of their lives and blood, and through the heroism of our servicemen, we were able to put an end to the Armenian occupation. Over the course of 44 days, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan demonstrated heroism, valor, patriotism, and self-sacrifice. The enemy was dealt a crushing blow on the battlefield. During the 44-day Patriotic War, more than 300 cities and villages were liberated from the enemy in combat. The Azerbaijani Flag was raised in those settlements, and, as a result, Armenia was forced to sign an act of capitulation on the night of November 9–10. Thus, the territories that had not yet been liberated on the battlefield at that time were also returned to Azerbaijan without a single shot being fired and without the loss of a single additional martyr.

The 44-day Patriotic War is a glorious chapter in our history. We are rightfully proud of this Victory. The entire Azerbaijani people are proud of it, and future generations will also take pride in it. This glorious history will live in our hearts forever.

During the Patriotic War, the Azerbaijani people demonstrated their moral qualities to the entire world. Armenia had constructed several lines of fortifications in the occupied territories. In some areas, six or seven defensive lines had been built. Every location was mined. Barbed wire, fortifications, advantageous positions, hills, and mountains – all of these created immense challenges for us. The Armenian side was convinced that Azerbaijan would not be able to liberate its lands by military means or that no one would allow us to do so. They were mistaken, and the Azerbaijani people once again showed the whole world what a great nation they are. Our soldiers and officers advanced to break through the defensive lines, becoming martyrs, suffering injuries, and rising to the highest rank of martyrdom. In other words, it was our national spirit that drove us forward.

Naturally, factors such as years of army building, enhancing the professionalism of our Armed Forces, regularly conducting military exercises, increasing combat capabilities, and equipping our army with modern equipment and weaponry played a major role in achieving our Victory. However, the main path to Victory ran through the hearts of our people, our soldiers, and our officers. What drove us forward was the path of dignity. The Azerbaijani people never intended to come to terms with the occupation. Throughout the years of occupation, I repeatedly stated publicly at various events that Azerbaijan would never accept the occupation, despite the efforts of the countries supporting Armenia to force us to do so. They repeatedly claimed that there was no military solution to this conflict. They repeatedly orchestrated various provocations in an attempt to push us into making unacceptable concessions. The large-scale smear campaign and slander directed against Azerbaijan, along with all the provocations aimed at discrediting the Azerbaijani state, its people, and its leadership, yielded no results. I repeatedly stated that we would never accept the occupation and that, if Armenia did not voluntarily withdraw from the occupied lands, we would restore our territorial integrity by military means.

Regrettably, they did not heed my words. As a result, our people united as one fist and broke the enemy's resistance on the battlefield, thereby restoring historical justice, our dignity, and international law.

The Armenian side had become so arrogant that it constantly threatened us. It threatened us with a “new war for new territories” and attempted to insult our dignity with the words, “Garabagh is Armenia, and period.” We answered them on the battlefield, and everyone clearly saw who was who. Not a single person fled or deserted from the Azerbaijani Army. However, by the Armenian leadership's own admission, there were nearly 12,000 deserters in the Armenian army. This clearly shows the difference. Azerbaijan secured complete superiority on the battlefield, and on November 8 – the day we celebrate Victory Day – the liberation of Shusha effectively decided the outcome of the Second Garabagh War. One day later, on the night of November 9–10, Armenia signed the act of capitulation.

At that time, we also issued statements in response to the inappropriate remarks made by the Armenian leadership. I stated that “Garabagh is Azerbaijan, and exclamation mark.” We placed that exclamation mark right here in Khankendi on September 20, 2023. The one-day anti-terror operation completely paralyzed the 15,000-strong occupation force of the Armenian army. As a result of this highly precise and professionally executed military operation, Armenia was forced to surrender for the second time.

Today, we are building and creating in liberated Garabagh. Today, we, the owners of these lands, are showing the whole world that this is our land. This is because we are a constructive and creative nation. During the occupation, Armenia did nothing but plunder our natural resources, cut down our forests, and illegally exploit our mines. We, by contrast, are building cities from scratch.

During the occupation, all our cities and villages were razed to the ground. This was an unprecedented act of barbarism. Armenia destroyed and desecrated our historical monuments and mosques. Now, large-scale construction efforts are underway, and the Great Return Program is being implemented. Already, 97,000 people live, study, and work in the liberated territories, and every month we witness the return of former displaced persons to their native lands.

I am delivering these congratulatory words here in Khankendi, in front of the Victory Arch. This is the second victory arch erected in honor of our glorious Victory. The first is in Baku, and the second is here, in Khankendi. A Victory Museum also operates next to the Victory Arch in Baku. The name of every single one of our martyrs is engraved in the museum. There will also be a Victory Museum in Khankendi. Final work on its establishment is currently underway. It will be located in the former executive authority building, which was once the cradle of aggression and occupation policies against Azerbaijan. It was a lair of evil. When I visited that building after our glorious Victory in October 2023, the first thing I did was open its windows so that the evil spirit would depart from there. Now, the Victory Museum will be housed in that very building. Those who occupied that building—the war criminals—have received the punishment they deserved. They wanted to come to Baku in tanks; they wanted to drink tea in Baku. They made arrogant statements because they were sheltered by certain patrons and believed that they could pursue a policy of perpetual occupation forever. But we showed them who is who. We demonstrated the dignity, fortitude, and will of the Azerbaijani people. Today, having received the punishment they deserved, they are drinking tea in Azerbaijani prisons.

Each step of the staircase leading to this Victory Arch bears the date of a day of the Patriotic War. Every person ascending this staircase rightfully feels a sense of pride, reliving the history of our glorious 44-day march. All this is natural. At the same time, I must also point out that the blood of our martyrs is etched into this staircase. We lost martyrs every day, and blood was shed every day. Despite this, our people demonstrated true patriotism and solidarity. The support we received from the people gave me, as Commander-in-Chief, additional strength. Thus, we moved forward. We did not stop for a single day or take a single step back. We drove the enemy from our lands, restored justice, and today our territory is free and whole.

What drove us forward were our national and spiritual values. The Azerbaijani state is built on this foundation. Our national and spiritual values, our Azerbaijani values, are above everything for us. For centuries, we have kept these values alive in our hearts and preserved them, and we will pass them on to future generations.

The ideology of Azerbaijanism is the philosophy underpinning all our achievements. Azerbaijanism is the philosophy that unites all our citizens. It is the ideology that moves us forward. In Azerbaijan, all ethnic groups and representatives of all religions live together as one family. What unites us is citizenship, solidarity, and the ideology of Azerbaijanism. This is our national idea. I want to reiterate that this is the path leading us into the future. I believe that the socio-political stability, positive atmosphere, ongoing construction and development, and the unification of our society around a common goal that we see in Azerbaijan today are rarely encountered in the world.

On this beautiful holiday, I would once again like to emphasize what a great nation the Azerbaijani people are. Only a great nation could, despite all the hardships, 30 years of occupation, and threats from major powers standing behind Armenia, demonstrate such resolve, support me, and make our Victory possible.

As we celebrate this beautiful holiday, each of us rightfully feels a sense of pride. At the same time, each of us pays tribute to the cherished memory of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives on this path. I am sure that each of us says to ourselves: We must be so strong that from now on, no one should even think of harming Azerbaijan! I am confident that this will be the case. Today, Azerbaijan is a strong state—politically, economically, and militarily independent, dependent on no one, pursuing an independent policy, and possessing dignity.

Glory to the Azerbaijani people! Glory to our Armed Forces! Long live Azerbaijan!