Two years pass since liberation of Azerbaijan’s Lachin

Two years have passed since the liberation of the Lachin district from the Armenian occupation.

Lachin, one of the picturesque corners of Azerbaijan, is located in the southwestern part of the republic, in the Lesser Caucasus. The district borders Kalbajar in the north, Gubadli in the south, Khojaly, Shusha, and Khojavand districts of Azerbaijan in the east, and Armenia in the west. The distance from the city of Lachin to Baku is 450 km, and the Khankandi railway station is 60 kilometers from the city. The region includes one city, one settlement, and 125 villages.

The total area of the Lachin district is 1,835 square kilometers, with 72,000 hectares of pasture land and 34,000 hectares of dense forest. The district is located in a mountainous area, the highest point is the Gyzylbogaz peak (3,594 meters above sea level). The rivers Shalva and Minkand flowing through the territory of the district, merging, flow into the river Hakari (length 113 km), which originates from the territory of the district. There are also deposits of mercury, limestone, and other natural resources.

The withdrawal of the occupying forces of Armenia from the Lachin region became possible thanks to the political will and outstanding leadership skills of the President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev.

In accordance with a trilateral statement signed on November 10, 2020, by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the Lachin district was returned to Azerbaijan on December 1.

On September 27, the Azerbaijani army, preventing another provocation of the Armenian armed forces at the front, launched a counteroffensive, liberating several regions, hundreds of villages, towns, and strategic heights. The 44-day Patriotic War was crowned with a brilliant victory for the Azerbaijani army.
Having suffered defeat on the battlefield, Armenia was forced to sign an act of surrender. On December 1, 2020, units of the Azerbaijani army entered the region and raised the tricolor flag of Azerbaijan over the liberated Lachin.

On February 14 last year, President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, and their daughter Leyla Aliyeva visited the Lachin district. The head of state raised the flag of Azerbaijan in the village of Gulabird, Lachin. The Gulabird hydroelectric power station was opened with the participation of the President of Azerbaijan.

On August 16, President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited the Kalbajar and Lachin districts. The head of state laid the foundation for the tunnel built on the Kalbajar-Lachin highway and the Lachin international airport. The President also got acquainted with the progress of work on the construction of the Istisu-Minkand road, which will connect the Kalbajar and Lachin district.

On June 26, 2022, President Ilham Aliyev visited Goygol, Kalbajar, and Lachin districts. The head of state got acquainted with the construction of the Kalbajar-Lachin highway, the works carried out at the 110 kV "Gorchu" power substation in the Lachin district and the construction of the Lachin International Airport. The President viewed the "Hakarichay" water reservoir project in the Lachin district.

Although the Lachin district was liberated from occupation, the city of Lachin and several other settlements acted as a corridor for Armenian citizens of Azerbaijan living in Karabakh to travel to Armenia. Therefore, the town of Lachin and the villages of Zabukh and Sus were under the control of Russian peacekeepers. According to the statement signed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on November 10, 2020, an alternative road had to be built to the Lachin corridor within three years. But the new road was put into use within a year and a half faster than the planned period. Thus, the movement trajectory of Armenian citizens of Azerbaijan in Karabakh, under the control of Russian peacekeepers, to Armenia has been changed.

On August 26, 2022, President Ilham Aliyev tweeted that the Azerbaijani Army was stationed in the city of Lachin. On August 26, the Commander-in-Chief announced that the Azerbaijanis had returned to the city of Lachin and that the city of Lachin, the villages of Zabukh and Sus had been taken under control. In this regard, he congratulated all the inhabitants of Lachin and the people of Azerbaijan.

On September 21, President Ilham Aliyev visited Lachin and raised the Azerbaijani flag in Lachin.

Currently, restoration and reconstruction works are being carried out in Lachin, new infrastructure is being created, and the district is being revived. About 80,000 people of Lachin are eagerly waiting for the day of their return to their homeland.

Lachin was occupied on May 18, 1992.