Azerbaijan celebrates Victory Day
Azerbaijan celebrates Victory Day
Today, on November 8, Azerbaijan celebrates Victory Day. Military parades, processions of veterans from the First and Second Karabakh Wars, concerts, street performances, and other events have been organized in Baku and cities across the country. The memory of those who died in these wars was also honored.
Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev has already participated in the opening of the new Victory Park with a Triumph Arch in Baku.
On September 27, 2020, large-scale hostilities began along the entire line of contact between Armenian and Azerbaijani military forces, continuing until November 10 of the same year.
The fighting ended with a signing of a ceasefire agreement by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia on the night of November 9-10.
During the hostilities, Azerbaijani armed forces regained control of 5 cities—Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Zangilan, Gubadly, and Shusha—as well as 4 towns and 240 villages, reestablishing control over the Azerbaijan-Iran border.
The decisive event in the conflict was the recapture of the city of Shusha, which led to the war’s conclusion and marked Azerbaijan’s success.
According to the trilateral statement, Kelbajar district was to be returned under Azerbaijan’s control by November 15, 2020 (later extended to November 25 at Armenia’s request), Aghdam district by November 20, 2020, and Lachin district by December 1, 2020. All three districts were returned to Azerbaijan. Only the so-called Lachin Corridor, a 5-kilometer-wide area, remained under the control of Russian peacekeeping forces.
The deployment of a Russian peacekeeping contingent in areas where Karabakh Armenians lived, for a minimum of five years, was also part of the statement’s terms.
In September 2023, as a result of an anti-terrorist operation in Karabakh, Azerbaijan restored its sovereignty over its entire internationally recognized territory.
Additionally, Azerbaijan was to be granted direct land access to its exclave, the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, via a corridor through Armenia. To date, this has not happened.
On December 3, 2020, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed an order establishing Victory Day, designating November 8—the day Azerbaijani Armed Forces gained full control over the city of Shusha—as an annual national holiday celebrated across the country.
Azerbaijan celebrates Victory Day
