EditorialÂ
This November, Azerbaijan-Armenia War has completed one year. The victory day was commemorated by Azerbaijan. The memories of the war and victory were reiterated on 8th November with events that were organized at the national, regional, and global scale. The war was won against the Armenian aggression and the triumph of independence was blessed to the occupied lands of Karabakh.
The war that has resulted in the death and destruction across the region due to the illegal Armenian aggressive acts, was ended with a peace deal brokered by Russia on November 10, 2020. The war begin in September 2020 and continued till 8th November and culminated with the Peace deal.
Armenian aggression at Tovuz was the main reason behind the war. This was a forceful imposition of a costly war by Armenia on Azerbaijan. However, Azerbaijan stood with international law and managed all the possibilities to resolve this issue through peaceful means. As the military intervention was imposed, Azerbaijan’s brave countrymen and women had to respond and retaliate to the aggression.
In September 2020, the conflict escalated again when Armenia military forces attacked Azerbaijan with full force and targeted Azerbaijani military posts and civilian population. During the conflict, Armenian forces committed grave violations of international law and human rights conventions by targeting civilians, business centers, worship places, and Azerbaijan, in return, amassed its forces against Armenia and launched a counter-offensive liberating several cities including hundreds of settlements and villages in Karabakh.
The recent escalation is the result of Armenian aggression against Azerbaijanis settled in the Karabakh region. In 2019, Armenia settled their nationals on lands of Azerbaijani people instigating demographic change, exploitation, and depredation of natural and agricultural resources, alteration in the infrastructure, along with desecration of cultural and historical heritage. Even the European Court of Human Rights has acknowledged that Armenian nationals displaced Azerbaijani people leading to their departure and deaths.
The conflict in the region had adverse effects on the peace and security landscape and regional states came forward to play a constructive role in mediation and ceasefire. If these efforts had not been made or realized, the security of the whole South Caucasus region would have been endangered by ceasefire violations, renewed tensions, and military confrontation. It could disrupt regional oil production as Azerbaijan alone produces eight hundred thousand barrels of oil per year and gas for Europe and Central Asia.
Russia was the first major power to intervene and offered to mediate between Azerbaijan and Armenia resulting in a cease-fire agreement. The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev termed the agreement a crucial step towards conflict resolution with Armenia. The Armenian President termed the agreement painful but the best possible solution to the current situation. The Armenian capitulation was celebrated in Azerbaijan.
The President of Azerbaijan is taking his personal interest in the development of war-affected areas to give a better future for the displaced people. The town of Susha has been under special focus where intense fighting took place before the ceasefire. In eight months Fuzuli Airport has been built. Baku wants to develop this town into a tourist destination only to dispel the impression of suffering for its residents who suffered year’s long conflict and the fiercest war in modern history. In other areas, rehabilitation work is underway to build schools, roads, and medical facilities for the residents as Baku considers this victory as the end of the war.
