Ilham Aliyev: New era of Karabakh is beginning

“It is the first anniversary of the liberation of Hadrut settlement today. I heartily congratulate you and all the people of Azerbaijan on this occasion. I think that to celebrate this day with you here in Hadrut is a very special event. After a long break, we have returned to Hadrut - Khojavand. We have returned through fighting, shedding blood and giving martyrs. May Allah rest the souls of all our martyrs in peace. It is at the cost of their blood, lives, the courage and heroism of our servicemen that we have restored historical justice, expelled the invaders from our native lands and returned to our native lands,” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at a meeting with members of the general public of Khojavand district on Oct. 9, Report informs.

The head of state noted that a new era of Hadrut and Karabakh in general is beginning:

“The Hadrut operation is one of the most important operations of the Second Karabakh War. This operation was of great importance both from a military and strategic point of view. The successful completion of this operation allowed us the opportunity to achieve our goal of liberating Karabakh. The location of Hadrut in this region is of special importance from a strategic point of view, because it is a mountainous area.

The hills around the settlement provide control over a large area, and it was very difficult to liberate Hadrut from a military point of view. At the same time, the liberation of Hadrut opened up new opportunities for our future plans. I must also say that although there were more than 10,000 deserters in the Armenian army during the war and they hurriedly fled from some settlements, they put up strong resistance in Hadrut. The fierce fighting lasted here for several days. Nevertheless, they realized that they were helpless facing Azerbaijani soldiers and officers and were defeated here as well.”