The head of state and the First Lady then met with the residents who had moved into the new apartments and presented them with the keys to their homes.

The President of Azerbaijan addressed the event.

Speech by President Ilham Aliyev

President Ilham Aliyev: Welcome to Sarijali.

Residents: You are also welcome, Mr. President.

President Ilham Aliyev: I sincerely congratulate you.

Residents: Thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: First of all, I congratulate you on the upcoming Ramadan holiday and the restoration of Sarijali village. In other words, today is a double celebration. The reopening of the village and its return to former displaced residents on the eve of this holiday is a momentous occasion.

We recently celebrated the Novruz holiday. On the eve of Novruz, I met with the residents of Hasanriz village in the Aghdara district and presented them with the keys to their new homes. Today, meeting with the residents of the first restored village in the Aghdam district is, of course, a great joy. After a long absence, you have returned to your native land, where excellent living conditions have been created for you.

During the years of occupation, in numerous meetings with former displaced persons as we provided them with temporary housing, I always assured them that even better conditions would be created once our lands were liberated and that we would return them to their native land. Today, we are once again witnessing the fulfillment of those words.

This is the 13th settlement where former IDPs have returned, and such conditions will be provided for all displaced persons in the future. The first settlement in the Aghdam district is now open to former IDPs after the occupation, and this year, more natives of Aghdam will return to their villages. People are expected to return to the villages of Kangarli and Khidirli, as construction work continues in other areas as well.

Of course, the city of Aghdam is being completely rebuilt from the ground up and will become one of the most beautiful cities in our country.

The city of Aghdam and all the villages in the district were completely razed to the ground by the ruthless enemy. Not a single building was left standing. This once again reveals the true nature of the enemy - their baseless and deep-seated hostility toward us.

It is no coincidence that some foreign experts and journalists, upon visiting Aghdam, were unable to hide their astonishment and even outrage. For many years during the occupation, foreign visitors had no access to Aghdam district, the city itself, or the few structures that remained standing.

After the end of the occupation, both Azerbaijani citizens and foreign visitors came here and saw firsthand the true nature of the enemy we had faced. During the occupation, the city was completely demolished and reduced to rubble.

Aghdam has often been called the 'Hiroshima of the Caucasus,' but the key difference is that Hiroshima was destroyed by an atomic bomb, while Aghdam was systematically dismantled for over 30 years by Armenian thieves and looters. They stripped the city, selling its stones in various places. This is an act of unprecedented barbarity.

I have said many times before - Armenian fascism represents the highest peak of fascism. But we are rebuilding Aghdam from the ground up, and we will restore it to its former glory.

Large-scale construction work is currently underway here. In the post-occupation period, many important infrastructure projects have been completed, starting with the roads. The Aghdam-Barda Road has been fully rebuilt—there was never such a beautiful road here, even during the Soviet era. The Aghdam-Khankendi Road is also being reconstructed and will become a four-lane highway, just like the Barda-Aghdam Road. A railway is under construction as well, and it is expected to be operational this year, making it easier and more comfortable to reach Aghdam by train. A station is also under construction.

The Aghdam Mosque has been restored. The contemptible enemy kept animals in it to insult all Muslims and Muslims around the world. The first building to be restored here was the Aghdam Mosque. A Mugham center is currently under construction, and the Imarat complex has been fully restored. Natavan’s grave has also been restored, with an exact replica of the memorial destroyed by the enemy rebuilt. The Khachinchay water reservoir has been restored as well - something the enemy had drained.

A school and a hospital are under construction, and a large industrial complex is already operational. Several enterprises have already begun operations there, and it will become the largest industrial complex in the Karabakh and East Zangezur regions. Of course, several residential houses and complexes are also under construction, and they will be put into operation this year.

In addition, considering the tourism potential of the region, two hotels have already opened and will serve Aghdam, Fuzuli, and the surrounding areas. This is how we are rebuilding the city. I remember meeting with the people of Aghdam in the city for the first time after the occupation, where we laid the foundation for the new city. I said back then that we would build a city so impressive that the whole world would envy us.

We have implemented all these projects on our own. Today, the state of Azerbaijan is capable of achieving such feats. I have only listed the work currently underway in Aghdam district. However, if we consider the efforts in all the liberated territories, we can confidently say that no other country has ever undertaken such extensive restoration work in such a short period of time.

The Second Karabakh War will, of course, be remembered as a glorious chapter in our history. As you know, during the war, active military operations were not conducted in the Aghdam direction because the enemy had built strong fortifications and mined everything here. Therefore, we began advancing in the Aghdam direction only after the liberation of Hadrut, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, and Shusha, and after the enemy's forces had effectively been surrounded. Once again, Azerbaijan demonstrated its humanity by giving the enemy a chance to vacate these lands voluntarily.

Otherwise, the 10,000, perhaps even 15,000-strong contingent of the Armenian army that was surrounded in this region would have been completely destroyed. In other words, the state of Azerbaijan once again showed humanity towards those who did not deserve it. After all, no humanity was shown to us. A genocide was committed against us. Our people endured immense suffering. Our cities were destroyed, and our villages and towns were ravaged. Our women and children were murdered by the barbaric enemy. But I said during the war that we would take our revenge on the battlefield, and we did exactly that.

As a result of the Second Karabakh War, we regained the city of Aghdam and the villages that were under occupation at the time without firing a single shot. Along with Aghdam, the Lachin and Kalbadjar districts were also returned to us. We would have liberated these lands eventually, but had the war continued, there would have been many casualties. Therefore, we ended the war at the right time, but we did not back down one step from our policy. Three years later, we took full control, restored our sovereignty, and reasserted our territorial integrity. Today, separatism has been completely eradicated.

People will now live here comfortably, without fear, and with dignity. I am confident that they will live here happily, as both our lands have been regained and the national dignity of our people has been fully restored. For 30 years, Armenia tried in every possible way to prevent the return of even a single inch of our land. The foreign forces supporting them were also in solidarity and alliance with them. But they overlooked one thing: the strength, determination, and courage of the state of Azerbaijan, as well as the heroism of our Army. May Allah have mercy on all our martyrs, and may Allah always keep the heads of our Army and the personnel of our Armed Forces held high. Thanks to their heroism and selflessness, we stand here today, gathering on the eve of this beautiful holiday.

Restoration work will continue. The first phase of the construction of Sarijali village has been completed, and currently, more than 200 houses are here. After the second phase is finished, the number of houses will increase to approximately 400. The conditions for comfortable living here are well-established. The houses are beautiful and well-maintained, with electricity, water, gas, and heating. There is a school, a kindergarten, a medical center, a sports ground, public service areas, and even a market complex. The area surrounding the houses is also quite large—1,200 square meters. Additionally, once the surrounding areas are irrigated, it will be possible to carry out sowing and harvesting work. The Sarsang and Sugovushan reservoirs now provide the necessary resources for these agricultural activities.

To achieve this, the canals built here in the past must be restored, and work in this direction is already underway. As you know, both the Sarsang and Sugovushan reservoirs were constructed under the initiative of National Leader Heydar Aliyev to supply Aghdam and several surrounding districts with irrigation water. During the occupation, the enemy cut off our access to this vital resource. However, we have now regained control of our water resources. As I mentioned, the Khachinchay reservoir has already been restored, and a canal originating from Sugovushan will irrigate the entire territory of Aghdam and neighboring districts. This will provide water to approximately 100,000 hectares of previously unirrigated land.

Therefore, those who will live in Aghdam district should be prepared for this. We are taking the necessary steps to create jobs here. At the same time, entrepreneurs should focus on developing agriculture.

I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart again and wish you good health. Live happily here.

Residents: Thank you very much.

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Following the speech, a ceremony was held to present the keys to the new homeowners, and commemorative photographs were taken.

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President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva then had a conversation with the residents.