By Azernews

By Vafa Ismayilova

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has changed the date of Victory Day from November 10 to November 8, the presidential website president.az reported on December 3.

On December 2 President Aliyev signed decrees to annually mark September 27 as Remembrance Day and November 10 as Victory Day in Azerbaijan.

"Given that November 10 is the day of remembrance of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Turkey, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev decided to change the date of Victory Day... Taking into account the historical significance of the city of Shusha and its liberation from occupation, this unprecedented victory - Victory Day, which has become the triumph of our people's fighting determination and strength and is of great importance for the future development and prestige of our state, will be solemnly marked on November 8," the website said.

The liberation of Azerbaijan's historical city Shusha from the 28-year-old occupation on November 8, played a decisive role in the fate of the war, led to the defeat of the enemy's political and military leadership and the cessation of hostilities, the report added.

Azerbaijan's late national leader Heydar Aliyev was quated as saying that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is as dear and as respected for Azerbaijanis as well. 

"Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who cordially loved Azerbaijan and said that 'Azerbaijan's joy is our joy, its sorrow is our sorrow', has his own place in the heart of every Azerbaijani and his memory is remembered with great respect in our country," the website added.

Since the start of the Armenian-Azerbaijani clashes in and around Nagorno-Karabakh on September 27, all senior officials, all political circles in Turkey gave strong support to Azerbaijan to defend its just cause. 

On December 2, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar stated that Turkey will continue to provide all kinds of assistance to Azerbaijan.

"We will be next to our Azerbaijani brothers to the end in a just struggle, let no one doubt this," said Akar.

Turkey and Russia are represented with the equal number of servicemen in the joint centre to monitor the situation in and around Nagorno-Karabakh under a trilateral peace agreement signed by Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia on November 10 to end the war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan resumed after Armenia launched large-scale attacks on Azerbaijani forces and civilians on September 27. Five Azerbaijani civilians were killed in the first day of the Armenian attacks. Over 90 Azerbaijani civilians were killed in Armenian's indiscriminate attacks on Azerbaijani civilians. Azerbaijan launched counter-offensive operations that ended in the liberation of over 300 settlements, villages. Azerbaijan also liberated five city centres and the historic Shusha city that was liberated on November 8.  

The 44 days of war ended with the Russian brokered peace deal signed on November 10 by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders. Under the peace agreement Azerbaijan’s Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions were vacated by the Armenians by December 1. The agreement also envisages the return of Azerbaijani IDPs to Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven adjacent regions under the control of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The peace agreement ended the 30-years-old conflict between Baku and Yerevan over Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region that along with the seven adjacent districts came under the occupation of Armenian armed forces in the war in the early 1990s. For about three decades, Armenia failed to implement the UN Security Council resolutions demanding the withdrawal of the Armenian troops, which was the main obstacle to the resolution of the conflict.