President: Lachin corridor cleared of Armenian occupying forces

The overall economic, agricultural, and tourism potential of all the liberated districts are excellent. We must maximize this potential and turn the Karabakh region into one of the most beautiful areas in Azerbaijan and the world, and I am sure that we will achieve this.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in his address to the nation, Report informs.

Besides, the Lachin district's strategic importance lies in the fact that the Lachin corridor runs through the territory of the region and the city of Lachin. As you know, this corridor has been transferred under the control of Russian peacekeeping forces. For many years, it was under the control of the Armenian armed forces, the occupiers. I can say that the initial version of the joint statement signed on 10 November contained a provision on keeping this corridor under the control of the Armenian armed forces. I opposed this, and as a result, control over this corridor was transferred to Russian peacekeepers. I think this is an outstanding achievement.

The Lachin corridor has been cleared of Armenian occupying forces. I must also say that a lot of work was done on the initial version of the statement, especially after the liberation of Shusha's city from the occupation. The initial version of the agreement suggested that the width of the Lachin corridor should be 30 kilometers. I was categorically against this and said that these claims of the Armenian side were unfounded. There is no need for such a wide corridor to ensure security measures within the passage. Therefore, I considered this proposal as being unacceptable and expressed my opinion. The second version envisaged the Lachin corridor as being 10 kilometers wide. I didn't agree that either, as a result of which agreement was reached on a corridor 5 kilometers wide. The 5km corridor is wide enough for us, the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, and ensuring security.