- Dear friends, dear residents of Aghdam. It is a great day in the history of our country today. The opening of the Mugham Center in the revitalized city of Aghdam is a historic event. I sincerely congratulate you and the Azerbaijani people on this occasion.

The fact that this wonderful event is held on May 10 carries a lot of symbolism, of course. It is the birthday of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev. For me - and indeed for every patriotic citizen - holding such an event on a day so dear to my heart carries deep significance. The entire life and work of the National Leader were devoted to the Azerbaijani people and state, and today’s Azerbaijan stands as a testament to his legacy. It was after he assumed leadership in 1993 that the country truly embarked on a path of development.

The situation was very difficult. People who lived through those days remember it perfectly well. The country was in an almost uncontrollable state. Arbitrariness, chaos and anarchy were raging across the country. The economy was in a paralyzed state, our lands were under occupation and the occupation was ongoing. Armenia was pursuing an aggressive policy against Azerbaijan with foreign support. The regular army was almost non-existent. In a time of internal strife and unrest across various regions of the country, the National Leader’s rise to power - at the request of the people - paved the way for national salvation, setting Azerbaijan on a lasting path of development.

Much has happened over the past thirty-two years. Yet despite all the challenges and hardships, we have remained steadfast on our path of development. At that time, halting the war was the only way to save our newly independent state. It was a difficult decision - most of our lands were under occupation, and more than a million people had been displaced. However, had the war continued, we could have faced an even greater tragedy.

It was a wise, though difficult, decision—one that gave Azerbaijan the opportunity to embark on a path of development. It enabled the restoration of stability, the establishment of a regular army, and the creation of initial conditions for economic growth. In hindsight, we can clearly see how many deliberate and well-considered steps were taken - steps that have shaped the realities of present-day Azerbaijan.

Of course, life does not stand still. Much has changed over the past 22 years—both in the world and in our country. However, the strategic course set by the National Leader remained unchanged, and we have not strayed from it.

It is a tremendous joy to address you today from a liberated Karabakh. Today, Karabakh is being revived and rebuilt. The construction work carried out over the past four and a half years since the Second Karabakh War is clearly visible - especially here in the city of Aghdam. Extensive reconstruction and restoration efforts are underway across all our liberated lands. During the occupation, the Armenian state pursued a systematic policy of reducing our cities and villages to ruins. Foreign visitors to this and other liberated regions are often shocked - and in many cases outraged - by what they see. When they learn that this destruction occurred not during the war, but during the ceasefire period, the true face of Armenian fascism becomes unmistakably clear.

We were subjected to genocide, urbanicide, and ecocide. Armenian fascism sought to keep this region under permanent occupation—and, regrettably, certain foreign states stood in solidarity with them. Though not always openly, messages conveyed through back channels assured them that Azerbaijan would never dare to launch a war of liberation: “We are behind you. We will support you. We will provide weapons. We will offer moral backing. We are your moral support.” All of these factors emboldened Armenia in its policy of occupation. However, they overlooked one crucial element: the determination of the Azerbaijani people - their national pride, unbreakable spirit, and deep-rooted connection to this land.

During the occupation, for 30 years, we brought this sacred day of liberation closer every day. Every one of us, each in their own place of work united around a single cause and worked tirelessly for this liberation, for the war of liberation. When the whole society rallies around for a cause, that society is capable of doing great things. No force can stand against such a people. This is precisely what makes our nation great. We understood clearly which forces supported Armenia, which ones stood behind them, and which we could - and did - confront. But this did not deter us. We were already living by the motto, “We would rather die than retreat,” and the 44-day Patriotic War stands as a testament to our professionalism, heroism, and unwavering national spirit. It showed the whole world how great the Azerbaijani people are. It showed that the Azerbaijani people are ready to sacrifice their lives to achieve absolute and complete victory. Many factors contributed to our victory. Over the past four and a half years, we have repeatedly talked about this and shared our views.

All of this has already been clearly embraced by our society: political will, economic strength, an independent policy, a strong army, patriotism, and a young generation - one raised in the national spirit. The majority of those who fought in the war, many of whom had never seen these lands before, were born during the occupation. The deep historical bonds that drew them to their homeland - along with many other factors - laid the foundation for our victory. And we achieved an absolute and complete victory.

Neither in the decades before us, nor in the four and a half years since the war, has anyone else won such an absolute and complete Victory, and it seems that they will not. I am not saying this for the sake of comparison. After all, everything in the world is measured by comparison. We were moving forward every single day for 44 days. We suffered losses every day; we had martyrs. May Allah have mercy on all our martyrs! Every day we achieved new successes; every day we liberated more villages. This boosted our spirit and gave us further strength. Our people were fully united. This gave me extra moral spirit as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. This is the Victory for all of us. The Azerbaijani people demonstrated their historic greatness to the whole world by achieving the Victory. It is no coincidence that, despite the hostility shown toward Azerbaijan by certain circles, forces, and countries, they recognize that we are a worthy nation - deserving of respect and impossible to ignore, at least within our region. Those who fail to reckon with us today will regret it tomorrow.

On my way here, I remembered the opening of the Mugham Center in the Guzanli settlement seven years ago. Since the city of Aghdam and a large part of the district were under occupation at the time, we had designated Guzanli settlement as the administrative center of Aghdam district. With my participation, the foundation of the Mugham Center was laid there and it was opened in November 2018. I said during a meeting with art figures back then there that we demand justice. I said that if Armenia does not vacate our lands of its own free will, we are ready for any option. The Armenian leadership ignored this. The circles that supported them gave them poor advice. There was a wrong impression about the Azerbaijani people. Now they regret it. Two years later, the Patriotic War began, and in a matter of 44 days we won a historic Victory. Armenia was forced to sign the act of capitulation, and the main part of Karabakh, a large part of it, was liberated from occupation.

However, we were fully aware that despite this historic victory, the country’s sovereignty had not yet been fully restored. For understandable reasons, we did not yet control the Azerbaijan-Armenia border in the Lachin direction. From November 10, 2020, to September 20, 2023, we worked tirelessly - through political, diplomatic, military, and other means - bringing that day ever closer with each passing hour. Finally, on September 20, 2023, Azerbaijan’s state sovereignty was fully restored, and the so-called “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,” which had operated illegally for 30 years, was consigned to the dustbin of history.

Today, we live freely in a free Karabakh. Aghdam, along with all our other cities, is undergoing extensive restoration. This morning, we marked the opening of the Aghdam railway station. There are now excellent transport links connecting Aghdam with Baku, Ganja, and other regions. At the same time, work has begun on restoring the Aghdam–Khankendi railway line, and a new station complex is expected to be built in the city of Khankendi within the next year and a half - two years at most.

As you may know, Garabagh University is already operating in Khankendi, and more than 8,000 people now live in the city. At the same time, the road from the new station complex in Khankendi to Shusha is being upgraded and shortened. Our goal is to make it possible to travel from Khankendi to Shusha in no more than 10 minutes. We are expanding and realigning the road to achieve this.

I would also like to share a new idea with the public for the first time: we are working on a cable car project that will connect Shusha and Khankendi. Additionally, construction of a cable car in the city of Lachin is expected to begin later this year, and a similar project is planned for Kalbajar. These developments will provide excellent transportation options for both tourists and local residents.

The Aghdam–Barda highway - used by those traveling from Baku - is a magnificent road, far better than anything that existed during Soviet times. Major infrastructure projects like the Aghdam–Khankendi–Shusha Road and railway are underway, along with the restoration of historical monuments. Notably, the first building to be restored was the Aghdam Juma Mosque.

Restoration work is now underway at the Giyasli Mosque. Residential complexes and two hotels are under construction. The Imarat Complex has been restored. The Khachinchay Reservoir is starting to operate to provide arable land with irrigation water. Many other projects are in progress. These relate only to Aghdam district.

If we take into account the scale of all the work done, to be honest, I do not know any country where construction and development projects of such proportions are progressing. In other words, this is another achievement accomplished through the hard work of our people. We are doing all this at our own expense. We plan all the work ourselves. Everyone is working with great enthusiasm and pride. We are building beautiful cultural centers, and today, our renowned performers - who will take the stage after me - will showcase their talents. I hope this magnificent hall will regularly host outstanding mugham festivals, including mugham competitions. I am confident that it will.

I congratulate all of you from the bottom of my heart, both on the opening of this magnificent Mugham Center and on all our successes, all our current and future achievements. We are a victorious people; a victorious nation. We live on our own land. We have proven once again that we are the owners of these lands, because we are not destroyers but builders, and from now on we will live on these lands forever.

Long live Aghdam! Long live Azerbaijan!