President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on September 19th, establishing this significant day as an annual celebration of the nation’s sovereignty.
The decree highlights the illegal occupation of 20% of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territories by the Republic of Armenia in the early 1990s, in blatant violation of the United Nations Charter. The Armenian forces carried out ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis, committed crimes against humanity, and perpetrated the horrific Khojaly genocide, one of the most tragic events of our time.
The Azerbaijan Armed Forces achieved a great victory by destroying the Armenian army in the 44-day Patriotic War which broke out on September 27, 2020, following Armenia’s new occupation plans, military aggression attempts, and continuous provocations. The war resulted in a historic victory, liberating Azerbaijan’s occupied territories after 30 years and restoring the country’s territorial integrity, in line with the UN Security Council resolutions.
On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched an anti-terrorist operation in its Karabakh region to prevent large-scale provocations, disarm and expel the formations of the Armenian armed forces from its territory, and restore the constitutional order. The operation, which lasted only 23 hours and ended on September 20, saw the valiant Azerbaijani Army successfully fulfill all its assigned tasks with high professionalism.
This latest brilliant victory has fully restored Azerbaijan’s sovereignty. Thanks to this glorious triumph, which holds exceptional significance for the Azerbaijani people, the flag of Azerbaijan now proudly waves in all territories where the country’s sovereignty has been established.
For any nation, the greatest achievement is to control its own destiny, create an independent state, and develop it. Despite facing difficulties, occupation, and deprivations at various stages of history, no force has been able to shake the determination of the Azerbaijani people for independence and statehood. Today, the people of Azerbaijan have their own independent state, and the territorial integrity and sovereignty, obtained through the blood of the heroic soldiers and martyrs, are the national treasure of Azerbaijanis.
