"During my first visit, all the necessary instructions on the restoration of Shusha were given. And a lot has been done in the seven months since January. Those who come to Shusha for the second or third time can see this," the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said at the official opening ceremony of the Vagif Poetry Days, Report informs. citing AZERTAC.
"Yes, the city is still in ruins. No matter how hard the Armenians tried, they could not present Shusha as an Armenian city. If it were an Armenian city, why was it in such a state, why was it destroyed, why wasn't a single building constructed here? Except for the new villas of three or four Armenian officials, no new buildings have been constructed here. All the old buildings have been destroyed, and all historic sites have been destroyed.
The restoration of Shusha began on 14 January, and great work was done in a short time. First of all, the road was paved. We saw on 14 January what condition Victory Road was in. It took us about two and a half to three hours to get here from Fuzuli. It was snowing, and there was no road. There was a trail with ice and mud on the surface. An asphalt road has been built now, and this is Victory Road. A highway is also being built. A highway with tunnels is being built from Fuzuli, and there will be a shorter road."
Shusha's electricity infrastructure has been restored, high-voltage lines have been extended from Fuzuli, and a substation has been built. In other words, one of the main priorities was to supply Shusha with electricity. When the enemy was leaving Shusha, they blew up Shusha's water lines. We have restored the water supply to Shusha. Water comes to Shusha from two sources now. The restoration of historical sites in Shusha has started. Vagif's mausoleum has already been restored. The bust of Vagif, which was destroyed by Armenians, has been restored, and it was unveiled again in a ceremony yesterday. Three mosques are being repaired. The renovation of the Yukhari Govharagha Mosque is nearing completion. Instructions have been given to repair the Saatli and Ashaghi Govharagha mosques. The repair of these mosques has been undertaken by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation too. The Natavan spring has been restored and now abounds in water. The Armenians also dried up 17 of the 17 springs here. If it were an Armenian city, why did they dry up these springs? Then Kharibulbul Hotel was opened, received its first visitors in May-June, and other steps were taken.
The busts of our geniuses Natavan, Uzeyir Hajibeyli, and Bulbul, which were shot at by the Armenians, have been brought and placed in the central square by me personally. Yesterday saw the start of another stage in the revitalization of Shusha. As I mentioned, Vagif's mausoleum and Vagif's bust were reopened, the statue of Uzeyir Hajibeyli, which was destroyed by the contemptible enemy, was erected again. An order has been given to restore Uzeyir Hajibeyli's destroyed house. Yesterday, Polad Bulbuloglu and his son, Bulbul's grandson, celebrated the opening of Bulbul's house. Polad has restored his father's house, and a beautiful museum has been created there. Karabakh Hotel reopened its doors to visitors after major overhaul yesterday. We saw what Karabakh Hotel was like during the occupation. Only two floors of it were working. There was no water or electricity. It was in a state of disrepair. This footage is available. It has also been restored, and I think that the most important of these measures is laying the foundation stone of a new residential complex.
The new hotel will be five-star. There will be 150 rooms in it. At present, there are 150 rooms in Karabakh and Kharibulbul hotels in Shusha – a total of 300 rooms. There will be a large conference hall and venues for events. The location of the five-star hotel was also chosen by me. The hated enemy was building the so-called parliament of the self-styled "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" there. This was intended to annoy us. There is no concept of a "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic." The foundation of that building had already been laid, and stonework had already been completed. By my order, this devil's lair was destroyed.