“Our 44-day history of victory, written with honor and dignity, has left a deep mark in the history of Azerbaijan with a number of important moments. Thus, the unprecedented victory of the Azerbaijani army on the military square destroyed the enemy. It is possible to say that the only way to save the remains of the destroyed Armenian army during the war was the act of capitulation. As a result, Agdam, Kalbajar and Lachin were liberated without war and without loss. Of course, the Azerbaijani army would liberate these territories, but it had to formalize the defeat of the enemy in advance, seeing the strength of our Army, the determination of the commander-in-chief Mr. Ilham Aliyev and the qualities of the commander-in-chief. The Armenian side realized that Azerbaijani soldiers would not give even an inch of their land to the enemy and were irresistible on this way. It was the fighting spirit and pishological superiority of our soldiers that ensured our victory on the whole front.”
This opinion was expressed by the chairman of the Azerbaijan Trade Union Confederation (ATUC), MP Sattar Mohbaliyev.
Mohbaliyev noted that Armenia, which occupied Kalbajar on April 2, 1993, committed ruthless looting and robbed civilians: “As a result of the occupation, 511 civilians were killed, 321 people were taken prisoner and went missing. These deeds are the true face of the enemy. During the occupation, Armenia was illegally settling in Kalbajar, contrary to all international norms. They thought that they would live in those lands forever and that Azerbaijan would reconcile with the occupation. Their dreams, deeds and characters were based on occupation, and they dreamed of realizing their ugly intentions with fascist thinking. But the resolute and unchanging position of President Ilham Aliyev, the unshakable unity of our people and the invincible power of our Army overturned these aspirations of Armenia. Within 44 days, the enemy’s long-established occupation strategy failed, and the policy of fascism collapsed. It also turned out to be a lie and slander about Azerbaijan. We managed to do this in 44 days by uniting around the Supreme Commander-in-Chief like an iron fist. We believe that this unity will continue forever and unshakable.
The chairman of ATUC said that the whole world witnessed what Armenians committed while leaving the territory of Kalbajar, where they had settled illegally, and some influential media of the world published reports about it: “when they left, they set fire to houses, cut down trees and even killed animals, in a word, committed atrocities not peculiar to man.”
According to him, landscaping works are being carried out in Kalbajar today: “On August 16, President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited Kalbajar region and got acquainted with the work carried out. The work done here shows that in the near future Kalbajar will become one of the developed regions of the republic. Before the occupation, the region’s tourism potential was high, and now it is possible. The beautiful nature, natural mineral waters, Istisu spring and other riches will create conditions for tourists to come here. This will increase the economic power of the region. “