Zubair Qureshi
After liberation of the occupied territories from Armenia’s clutches last year, the Azerbaijan government has though initiated a large-scale reconstruction and rehabilitation work in the destroyed areas, yet at the same time, it has not forgotten its heroes, the ghazis and the martyrs who laid down great sacrifices for the liberation of their land.
This was stated by Ambassador of Azerbaijan Khazar Farhadov at a press conference on Monday on the eve of the first anniversary of the 44-Day Patriotic War of Azerbaijan.
Ambassador Khazar paid rich compliments to the government and the people of Pakistan for standing by Azerbaijan throughout the three decades.
Pakistan supported and recognized Azerbaijan’s stance on every global and international forum. In return, he said, Azerbaijan also supported Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir and always called for resolution of the dispute in accordance with the UN resolutions.
The Azerbaijan Embassy also put on display a number of pictures depicting the atrocities committed by the occupying Armenian forces and showing the resolve of the Azerbaijan people against the aggression.
Earlier, flanked by Military Attaché of the embassy Colonel Mehman Novruzov, the ambassador spoke at length over the heroic struggle of the Azerbaijan nation and the forces under the leadership of President Ilham that resulted in the liberation of almost 20 per cent of his country’s territory.
He spoke about the Armenian forces’ hostilities, razed buildings, deserted and desecrated mosques, attacks by ballistic missiles and phosphorus bombs on the civilian population, killing of thousands of children and women.
But the spirit of the Azerbaijan forces was high during all three decades of occupation and finally they retrieved their land and pushed the aggressors back.
It was on September 24, last year when the Armenian forces launched a large-scale attack on Azerbaijani military positions and civilians that was quickly and befittingly responded by the Azerbaijan forces.
Giving details, Ambassador Khazar Farhadov said at the General Debates of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly on September 24 last year, President Ilham Aliyev warned that hostile, Azerbaijanohobic statements and provocations of Armenian leadership demonstrated that Armenia was preparing for a new aggression against Azerbaijan. Three days later, his warning came true.
“As you know, Armenia for almost 30 years kept our land under occupation. The occupation was accompanied with notorious war crimes and crimes against humanity,” said the ambassador.
In response to the series of aggression by Armenia, Azerbaijan launched a counterattack in its own territories against Armenia, using the right to self-defence enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter, said the ambassador adding, for 44 days, the Armenian armed forces intensively fired on the regions and cities along and also far from the frontline.
