During the hoisting of the flag of his country in the capital of Nagorny Karabakh, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stressed that he had fulfilled an old "Azerbaijani dream" of regaining the territory from Armenian separatists.

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EDITED BY| HUXIANA

 

Asia section -  CJ journalist

 

Baku - October,15,2023

 

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The presidential office published photos in which Aliyev appeared in a military uniform visiting several places and towns in Nagorno-Karabakh, while

In other photos he appeared kneeling, kissing the Azerbaijani flag before raising it.

Aliyev "raised the national flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the city of khankendi and made a speech,"the office said in a statement.

Azerbaijan named the capital of the region khankendi, while Armenia calls it Stepanakert, since it was controlled by separatists

Armenians in the nineties of the last century.

This is the first visit of the Azerbaijani president to the city since it fell into the hands of Armenian separatists.

"We have achieved what we wanted," Aliyev said. We have realized the dream that the Azerbaijani people have had for decades".

He noted that his country "waited 20 years" before Azerbaijan was able to extend its rule over Nagorno-Karabakh.

"This victory will remain etched in our history forever,"he added.

Baku achieved a breakthrough victory in September over Armenian separatists in an operation that ended in less than 24 hours in Nagorny

Karabakh. Following their defeat, the Armenian separatists declared the dissolution of the self-proclaimed republic unilaterally.

Most of the estimated 120 thousand Armenians who lived on the territory fled across the border to Armenia.

This mass flight of the overwhelming majority of the population of the region took place for fear of reprisals of this Armenian minority at the hands of Azerbaijanis.

Aliyev's trip coincided with the twentieth anniversary of his accession to the presidency of Azerbaijan in 2003, succeeding his father Heydar Aliyev. He pledged throughout the period

His authoritarian rule returned Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control.

"20 years ago, when I took over my duties," he said Sunday in the city, which looked desolate in photos published after the Azerbaijani operation

As president, I have set for myself a fundamental goal: to fly the Azerbaijani flag over all the territories, towns and villages where

It was once under occupation".