Mehriban Aliyeva congratulates nation on liberation of new villages, Zangilan city

By Aisha Jabbarova

Azerbaijan's First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva has congratulated the Azerbaijani people on the liberation of some of the Armenian-occupied territories.

“I congratulate our people on the occasion of the liberation of a whole number of villages in Fizuli, Jabrayil, Khojavend, Zangilan districts and the city of Zangilan from the occupation! Long live the people of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani Army. May Almighty Lord bless our people, our Motherland and President! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!” Aliyev said in her official Instagram page on October 20.

Today, President Ilham Aliyev announced the liberation of Zangilan city and 24 villages in Zangilian, Jabrayil, Fuzuli and Khojavand districts.

The liberated villages are Dordchinar, Kurdler, Yukhari Abdurrahmanli, Garghabazar, Ashagi Veysalli, Yukhari Aybasanli (in Fuzuli), Sarafsha, Hasangaydi, Imambaghi, Dash Veysalli, Aghtapa, Yarahmadli (in Jabrayil), Aghjakand, Mulkudara, Dashbashi, Gunashli, Vang (in Khojavand), Havali, Zarnali, Mammadbayli, Hakari, Sharifan, Mughanli (Zangilan).

The Azerbaijani Army earlier liberated Fuzuli city, Hadrut town, a number of strategic heights and dozens of villages in counter-attack operations provoked by Armenia’s attack on Azerbaijani positions and civilians on September 27.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Group’s efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.