President: Statement provides linking Nakhchivan with main part of Azerbaijan

"The other important issue I want to stress is that linking the main part of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic has been identified in this statement. The document also shows the opening of all communications and roads and creating new transport and communication infrastructure. It should be. We have, of course, been very supportive. I can say that this item was included in this statement at my insistence because this item has not any connection with the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. But I am glad that my assertion was accepted," President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev said in his address to the nation.

"Thus, a historic step was taken to connect the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic with Azerbaijan by land because the hated enemy besieged Nakhchivan in the early 1990s and even before. All communication lines were cut off - because, at that time, energy resources were transferred there from the essential part of Azerbaijan - the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic was in a challenging situation. At the same time, there were attacks from the territory of Armenia. I have said many times that Nakhchivan was not occupied thanks to the courage and activity of the great leader Heydar Aliyev. Armenian vandals also had such plans.

"Therefore, I would like to emphasize this point, and I would like to congratulate you on this event, dear Nakhchivan. I must say that the Nakhchivan people, like citizens from all other regions, took an active part in the second Karabakh war. Now the war is over, some issues that have not been disclosed before will be revealed. Everyone will know that the people of Nakhchivan, along with service members from all other regions, have shown extraordinary heroism, selflessness, and martyrdom in the liberation of our lands," the head of state added.