In the late 80s and early 90s of the twentieth century, Armenia openly made territorial claims to the historical lands of Azerbaijan and launched a military aggression against our country. At that time, Armenia, taking advantage of the chaos in Azerbaijan, occupied 20% of our lands, and as a result of the policy of ethnic cleansing pursued by Armenia, more than 1 million Azerbaijanis were expelled from their native lands.
The process of negotiations on the elimination of the consequences of military aggression against Azerbaijan and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884, which lasted about 30 years, did not yield results due to Armenia's destructive position.
Armenia's aggressive and offensive national security strategy and military doctrine, expansion of the illegal settlement policy in the occupied territories, call for a "new war for new territories", the decision to create "volunteer groups" of civilians, the provocation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border in the direction of Tovuz(July 12, 2020), as well as the increase of tension on the line of contact, the concentration of troops near the frontline, the accumulation of large quantities of weapons showed that Armenia was preparing for a large-scale attack.
Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that the illegal presence of Armenian troops in the occupied territories is a major threat to peace and security in the region and can always aggravate the situation.
In response to Armenia's provocation and further military aggression, the Azerbaijani people launched a patriotic war to end the occupation of our lands, force Armenia to peace, fulfill the requirements of known UN Security Council resolutions, return IDPs to their native lands and restore justice. All the people of Azerbaijan were mobilized and united for this sacred cause.
As a result of 44 days of military operations, the victorious Azerbaijani Army captured the cities of Jabrayil, Fizuli, Zangilan, Gubadli, Shusha, a special place in the history, culture and heart of the Azerbaijani people, the crown of Karabakh, Minjivan, Agband, Bartaz settlements of Zangilan region, Hadrut settlement of Khojavend region and liberated many villages, including Sugovushan village of Tartar region, several villages of Khojaly and Lachin regions, as well as important strategic heights in the direction of Aghdara, Murovdagh and Zangilan.
Courageous Azerbaijani soldiers and officers went step by step, broke through the engineering and fortification systems established by Armenia for many years, and our lands were liberated at the cost of the blood and lives of our heroic soldiers and officers, martyrs.
Azerbaijan's military victories, especially the liberation of Shusha from enemy captivity, played a decisive role in the fate of the war, resulting in Armenia's recognition and capitulation of its defeat, forcing Armenia to return Kalbajar, Agdam and Lachin regions to Azerbaijan.
The determination and will of the Azerbaijani people, their economic strength, the building of a modern army and the unity of the people and power were important factors in ensuring the victory of our country. Inspired by the rich history of statehood and military history of our great ancestors, the people of Azerbaijan wrote another glorious chronicle of heroism, proving to the whole world that they were a victorious people and won a historic victory over the enemy.
Guided by paragraph 32 of Article 109 of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in order to perpetuate this unprecedented victory, which has become a celebration of the strength of our people and our national pride, and is of exceptional importance for the prestige and future development of our state:
1. To solemnly celebrate November 8 as Victory Day in the Republic of Azerbaijan every year.
2. To the Cabinet of Ministers of the Azerbaijani Republic to solve the questions following from this Order.
Ilham Aliyev
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Baku city, December 3, 2020.
