Armenia threatened us with new occupation, someone had to teach them lesson - Azerbaijan's president

Armenia was arrogantly threatening us with renewed occupation, so how much longer did we have to put up with that? Someone had to teach them a lesson, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev said in a speech in front of the servicemen in Shusha.

“We understood very well that even if we have weapons and ammunition, even if our economy is strong, even if we succeed in the international arena, these factors would not matter much if our citizens did not show their strength for the sake of our lands, for the sake of the Motherland. We have brought up young people in the spirit of patriotism, paying great attention to educational work. We did not allow the history of the occupation to be forgotten. We have not forgotten Karabakh," he said.

"On the contrary, this issue has always been the top priority issue in every event for us, both domestically and internationally. Growing up in the spirit of patriotism, young people were able to sacrifice their lives and take our sacred lands from the enemy at the cost of their own lives. The combination of all these factors conditioned our victory,” President Aliyev said.

“I want to say again that it was clear that the enemy did not want to leave our land of its own free will, was becoming more and more impudent, was taking unacceptable steps and making statements to insult the dignity of the Azerbaijani people. By saying “Karabakh is Armenia”, Armenia not only put an end to the process of negotiations, but also insulted us. It was an insult addressed to us when a fake swearing-in ceremony was held in Shusha, the crown of Karabakh, which is so sacred to us. That devil's lair in which the event took place was destroyed by the heroic Azerbaijani Army during the war," said the president.

"The relocation of the so-called “parliament” of the self-proclaimed entity to Shusha was another provocation against us. Armenia was arrogantly threatening us with renewed occupation. How much longer did we have to put up with that? Someone had to teach them a lesson. Thousands, tens of thousands of young Azerbaijanis, soldiers and officers like you stepped forward and showed the enemy where it belonged, putting it in a situation they will never be able to get out of. They will live forever with the mark of a defeated nation and state,” the head of state said.