Ambassador of Azerbaijan Khazar Farhadov says 8 November is celebrated as Victory Day in the Republic of Azerbaijan every year

Ansar M Bhatti/DNA

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi has said Pakistan greatly values relations with Azerbaijan adding these relations shall further be cemented in the coming days.

He expressed these views while addressing as the chief guest on the occasion of the Victory Day of Azerbaijan.

Murtaza Solangi furhter siad both Pakistan and Azerbaijan enjoy excellent relations in all fields. He said people to people between the two countries have also increased.

The minister also welcomed start of direct flights from Pakistan to Azerbaijan and hoped thiese direct air links will further bring two brotherly nations closer.

Ambassador of Azerbaijan Khazar Farhadov in his speech said, 8 November is celebrated as Victory Day in the Republic of Azerbaijan every year. 3 years ago, Azerbaijan liberated its territories from Armenian occupation and restored its territorial integrity. We honor with deep respect and gratitude our Martyrs who gave their precious lives for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of our country.

He said, Armenia kept 20% of Azerbaijani territories under occupation for almost 30 years. Almost Armenia committed war crimes in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Armenia committed the Khojaly Genocide in 1992, killing 613 innocent civilians, including 106 women and 63 children. They carried out ethnic cleansing against the Azerbaijani population in the occupied territories. All Azerbaijanis were forcibly expelled from occupied territories.

During the Armenian occupation, Azerbaijani cities and villages were razed to the ground. All cultural and religious monuments were destroyed, mosques were desecrated and looted. Armenians turned mosques into pigsties during the occupation. Hundreds of thousands of mines and booby traps have been planted across Azerbaijan’s territory.

But Azerbaijan has never targeted any civilian people and civilian infrastructures during the Patriotic War and local antiterrorism measures.

He said, even after the war, Armenia did not stop its heinous military provocations that caused the loss of civilians and military personnel in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan. In this regard, the Azerbaijan Army launched local anti-terrorist measures to ensure the provisions of the Joint Trilateral Statement signed on November 10, 2020, to prevent large-scale provocations committed in the Karabakh economic region of Azerbaijan, to disarm and withdraw the Armenian armed forces formations from Azerbaijani territories, to neutralize their military infrastructure, to ensure safety of the civilian population returning to the territories liberated from occupation, safety of the civilian workers involved in the reconstruction work, the servicemen and to restore the constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Immediately after the war, the Azerbaijani side whose 20 % of the territory had been occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years, proposed a peace agreement to Armenia. Raising the right of 300.000 Azerbaijanis to return to their historical homeland in nowadays Armenia, Azerbaijan also set up a special reintegration portal for Armenian residents living in the Karabakh economic region of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Ambassador Farhadov said, during the occupation and 44 days of the Patriotic War, brotherly Pakistan has always supported Azerbaijan morally and diplomatically. Using this opportunity, I would like once again to extend my gratitude to the Government and people of Pakistan for their continuous support. It is no coincidence that the Pakistani flag is waved along with the Azerbaijani and Turkish flags in Azerbaijan by the common people in this country as a sign of respect and gratitude to the Pakistani brothers and sisters.