Azerbaijani lands were liberated from Armenian occupation within 44 days. Friends could not hide their joy, and enemies could not hide their malice at this victory.
The way to clear the territories from occupation was very long and challenging. It was possible to overcome this difficulty thanks to the President-people, people-army unity.
In all his speeches, President Ilham Aliyev always emphasized that the liberation of lands from occupation is a priority issue for Azerbaijan. It is no coincidence that three days before the start of the 44-day war, on September 24, during his speech at the general debates of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, the President warned the world community that Armenia was preparing for a new war against Azerbaijan:
"Recently, Armenia has adopted its aggressive and offensive military doctrine and National Security Strategy...
...We call on the UN and international community to urge Armenia to refrain from another military aggression. The military-political leadership of Armenia will bear all responsibility for instigating provocations and escalation of tensions."
This was the foresight of the head of state and warning the international community about the new provocation of the Armenians. The President also informed the world that Azerbaijan has the right to liberate the lands with weapons.
Ilham Aliyev, in his first address to the people when the Patriotic War began on September 27, 2020, demonstrated his will and Azerbaijan's rightness by directing the entire society for decisive victory: "We are on the right path! Ours is the cause of justice! We will win! Karabakh is ours! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!"
This slogan was the main target for everyone throughout the war. In his second address to the nation on October 4, 2020, the Commander-in-Chief showed his place to the enemy and announced that he would keep his promise to society: "Now we have shown who is who... We are fulfilling our mission of salvation and we will complete it!"
On October 9, in his next address to the nation, President Ilham Aliyev declared to the world that there is no status quo or contact line regarding the Karabakh issue: "There is no status quo. Contact line - no contact line, split it. They had been building this line of contact for 30 years... We broke through! No one can say anything in front of an Azerbaijani soldier."
This was also an indicator of the great value given by the Supreme Commander to the Azerbaijani soldier. Every Azerbaijani was looking forward to the speech of the head of state in those days. It was as if the society had become accustomed to the fact that new territories would be liberated every day. The head of state even emphasized this in one of his speeches: "Every time I address my people, I bring good news. At the same time, almost every day I mention the names of new villages and cities liberated from occupation on my Twitter account, through Twitter. I know that the people of Azerbaijan are waiting for this news every day! Every day and every hour, people wait for this news to come out. But I want my dear people to know that the capture of every village and every height requires great courage."
During the 44-day Patriotic War, Armenia and its patrons did everything they could to create chaos in Azerbaijan and conflict between the society and the government. For this purpose, the cities and regions of Ganja, Barda, Tartar, Mingachevir, Goranboy, Naftalan, Aghjabadi, and Dashkasan, located far from the war zone, were subjected to a rocket attack.
During the Patriotic War, the city of Ganja was attacked by rockets and heavy artillery of the Armenian armed forces a total of 5 times (on October 4, 5, 8, 11, 17).
Even on October 17, the Armenian armed forces attacked the city with a ballistic missile. The rockets fell on Mukhtar Hajiyev street in the city, where many houses are located. As a result of this terrorist act, dozens of innocent people were martyred, and many civilians were injured.
During the Second Karabakh War, the Barda district and the city center were subjected to rocket and heavy artillery attacks by Armenian armed forces five times (on October 5, 8, 27, 28, and November 7).
In general, 93 civilians, including 12 children and 27 women, were killed and 454 civilians were injured due to Armenia's military aggression during the Patriotic War. In addition, 12,292 residential and non-residential areas, 288 vehicles were damaged, and 1,018 farms were damaged.
On October 17, President Ilham Aliyev said that the Azerbaijani cities subjected to rocket attacks had become a symbol of resistance to Armenia's state terrorism and vandalism against the civilian population: "No threat and no pressure can affect my will. Ours is the cause of truth. We are fighting on our land and restoring our territorial integrity."
In all his speeches, the President highly appreciated the activities of the Azerbaijani society and army. On October 26, the head of state said in his next address to the people: "We liberate these lands at the cost of the lives of our soldiers and officers. We have confirmed ourselves both on the battlefield and on the political level, we have confirmed it to the world. We have confirmed the people of Azerbaijan as a proud nation, brave nation, and invincible nation."
Immediately after our historical victory, on December 12, the leader of Azerbaijan announced that the Karabakh conflict had already been a thing of the past while receiving the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.
November 8 is a historic day on which the citizens of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijanis of the world, and those who love Azerbaijan are proud and experience unforgettable happiness. On that day, President, Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev seemed even stronger. Speaking from the Alley of Martyrs, he announced the liberation of the city of Shusha from occupation to the people of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijanis of the whole world:
"Today, I also visited the grave of great leader Heydar Aliyev and paid my respects. I said in my heart; I am happy to have fulfilled my father's will. We have liberated Shusha! This is a great victory! The souls of our martyrs and the Great Leader are happy today! Congratulations, Azerbaijan! Congratulations, Azerbaijanis of the world!
"Today, the people of Azerbaijan are as united as an iron fist! It will always be the case! This unity will last forever! This unity will allow us to fulfill all our responsibilities in the future. Dear Shusha, you are free! Dear Shusha, we are back! Dear Shusha, we will reinvigorate you!"
November 8 is a day that all Azerbaijanis will remember with pride. This date also demonstrates President-people unity and solidarity to the world.
It is the realization of President Ilham Aliyev's strong concept of Azerbaijan in achieving a historic victory in the Patriotic War. During the war, before and after, the head of state prefers our national interests. This is one of the factors behind our success. As the President, Ilham Aliyev achieved these successes with his thoughtful steps, principles, determination, and strong will. After liberating Azerbaijan's lands from occupation, its importance in the international world has increased. Azerbaijan contributes to global energy security. This is the success of President Ilham Aliyev's policy. With his success and victory, he is one of the prominent architects of new conditions in the South Caucasus. Today, any project in the region can be realized with the blessing of Azerbaijan.
The leader of Azerbaijan also acts as a defender of the rights and freedoms of the world's Azerbaijanis: "There are many more Azerbaijanis living outside Azerbaijan than in the country alone. Of course, their security, their rights and well-being are of the utmost importance to us..."
Thus, with a strong leader and the unity of its society, Azerbaijan is stronger today than it has ever been in history. Ilham Aliyev is the leader of 50 million Azerbaijanis. Azerbaijan's success is a source of joy and pride for 50 million Azerbaijanis.