"We did not fight against the civilian population. The Armenians are the ones who fought against our civilian population. We have 94 martyrs among civilians and more than 400 wounded civilians. More than 3,000 houses have been destroyed. Their losses among civilians are much lower," said President, Victorious Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the nation.
"However, Armenia targeted our civilians in cities and villages. They hit Ganja with ballistic missiles while Barda with cluster and phosphorus bombs. It is a war crime. The city of Tartar is almost destroyed. The largest number of shells fell on Tartar. Every morning, I know how many shells landed there. One day, two thousand shells fell in a small town. Isn't this Armenian savagery? Isn't it a repeat of the Khojaly genocide? See who we were faced with and who we defeated? I repeat: we have not only restored our territorial integrity, but we have also broken the back of Armenian fascism," the head of state said.
"We have saved the region from Armenian fascism. We have saved the world from Armenian fascism. It may resurrect, but we will not allow that to happen. Everyone should know that. We will take any steps necessary to defend ourselves. We will take any steps necessary to protect our citizens, and no-one can stop us. The whole world saw that in 44 days. No-one can stand in front of us or put forward conditions to us. In the early days of the war, representatives of the countries that wanted to impose conditions on us, to threaten us, to slander us, some Western countries – they received our harsh response. They saw that we were not a country that bows to others. Neither am I a leader who accepts everything, any word. I have responded to them with a vengeance and will continue to do so if necessary. Therefore, if Armenian fascism rises again if any provocation is committed against us, they will receive ten times more, and no one can stop us," the Azerbaijani President added.