Ilham Aliyev met with residents of Badara, Dashbulag, Seyidbeyli, and Shushakand villages of Khojaly

On September 15, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with residents of Badara, Dashbulag, Seyidbeyli, and Shushakand villages in the Badara village of the Khojaly district.

Addressing the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- First of all, let me congratulate you from the bottom of my heart. You have returned to your native Karabakh land. I am sure that from now on your lives will be filled only with joy. The suffering and injustice are now in the past. The Azerbaijani government has created all the necessary conditions for you. Houses have been beautifully renovated, and full infrastructure has been provided - roads, natural gas, electricity, and water. Most importantly, you and your children will live forever in your native Karabakh land. This is a celebration of justice. We have restored justice, but above all, we have restored our rights. We have put an end to Armenian occupation, and we achieved this step by step.

As you know, when the Second Karabakh War ended, we did not yet have control over this region. You are well aware of the reasons for that. However, from 10 November 2020 to 19 September 2023, we had one goal: to fully restore the sovereignty of our country. We achieved this - we ended the Armenian occupation, put an end to separatism, restored justice, and today we are building and creating here.

The people who lived as refugees for so many years deserve the very best conditions. I recall saying in my numerous meetings with refugees during the years of occupation that the government was doing everything possible to provide for you - and we did that. Approximately 300,000 former IDPs were provided with houses and apartments by the state. But I always said at the opening of each tent camp that these were only temporary places of residence. After the liberation of Karabakh, we would create even better living conditions in Karabakh itself. And that is exactly what has happened.

Today, the whole world is speaking about Azerbaijan. There is no other country that fought, shed blood, sacrificed martyrs, and prevailed for the sake of its native land. Whether another such country will ever exist - time will tell. Our victory was secured by the will of our people, their deep attachment to their homeland, our collective resolve, and our fighting spirit. At the same time, just as we defeated the enemy on the battlefield and forced them to sign the act of capitulation, we also paved the way for peace, so that war would never return. We never wanted war. For 17 years I held talks with the leaders of Armenia, trying to convince them that if they did not vacate our lands voluntarily, war would be inevitable. But they did not believe it. They thought that the great powers behind them - those who gave them weapons, money, and political support - would protect them forever. But they miscalculated our resolve. I told them many times: leave our lands of your own free will. Even after the Second Karabakh War, after our glorious Victory, after the liberation of Shusha, I told them there was no place for separatism in Azerbaijan. They should abide by Azerbaijan’s laws, accept Azerbaijani citizenship, and live here in peace. No one would ever object. Yet both their military and political provocations, their arrogance, and their negative attitude toward us continued.

Therefore, the anti-terror operation of September 19–20 was a lesson for them and for everyone else. That operation, lasting only a few hours, completely eradicated the separatists, while those in whom they had placed their hopes remained silent. No one could stand against the Azerbaijani Army. No one could stand against the Azerbaijani people. Because we are right.

And today, here once again, we are proving that we are right. They destroyed our cities and villages, but we are rebuilding and creating. Entire Karabakh and East Zangezur is a construction site. The restoration, the construction of these beautiful homes, the creation of complete infrastructure in such a short period of time show both our strength and our determination. The most important point is that the citizens of Azerbaijan are at the heart of all our political steps. You, the citizens of Azerbaijan - the residents of Karabakh who suffered greatly due to Armenian occupation - deserve the very best conditions today.

I congratulate you once again and wish you happiness in your new homes. We will live here forever.

The head of state, together with residents, posed for photographs.