Shusha’s occupation not permenant: Deputy PM
By Sara Rajabova
Shusha's occupation by the Armenian Nazis which occurred 22 years ago, is temporary, Azerbaijan's deputy prime minister said.
Ali Hasanov, who is also Chairman of the State Committee for Refugee and IDP affairs, and Chairman of the Republican Commission for International Humanitarian Assistance, went on to emphasize that it is impossible to forget Shusha.
Addressing an event in Baku on May 8 on the 22nd anniversary of Shusha's occupation by the Armenian armed forces, Hasanov further expressed disagreement with the wording "22 years without Shusha."
"The younger generation may perceive it incorrectly. Shusha is in the same place, but its inhabitants have temporarily changed their homes," he said.
"Shusha is the holy place for all Turkic and Muslim world," Hasanov noted.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh Public Association, Head of the Executive Power of Shusha Region Bayram Safarov said Azerbaijan relies on people, the army and the country's president on its way towards liberation of its lands from the occupation.
"The Azerbaijani president's speech at the Prague summit, which was dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the EU Eastern Partnership Program ,once again proved that he is the main leader of all Turkic peoples and the Azerbaijani lands will be liberated in future under his leadership," Safarov said.
He noted that Armenians must know that being isolated, they would be unprotected.
"The population of Shusha was 23,000 people until 1989, while 20,000 of whom were Azerbaijanis and only 3,000 were Armenians," he added.
Safarov said currently, the number of Azerbaijani natives of Shusha has reached 31,500 people.
He stressed that Azerbaijani army is equipped with the most modern weapons.
"The funds allocated for the army in Azerbaijan as a whole exceed the state budget of Armenia," he added.
Safarov said today's Azerbaijan is an independent country which under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev has achieved great success in the world.
He recalled the words of President Aliyev, who stressed that all occupied lands of Azerbaijan will be liberated one day and the flag of the country will fly over Shusha.
May 8 marks the occupation of the cradle of Azerbaijan's culture -the beautiful and ancient town of Shusha.
The largest town in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, this cultural center which is the capital of the historical Karabakh Khanate fell under Armenia's occupation on May 8, 1992.
As a result of the occupation, 195 civilians were killed, 165 others were wounded, 22,000 were displaced, and 68 were taken hostage by the Armenians. Their fate is unknown to this day.
Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.
Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.
Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. have produced no results so far.