Azerbaijan marks Sovereignty Day on 1st anniversary of Karabakh op

BAKU

Azerbaijan marked its newly established Sovereignty Day on Sept. 20 on the first anniversary of its operation in Nagorno-Karabakh that culminated in a decisive one-day victory last year.

President İlham Aliyev signed a decree on the anniversary of the approximately 24-hour “anti-terror operation initiated by the Azerbaijani army on Sept. 19, 2023, aimed at reinstating constitutional order in the region,” according to a statement by his office.

The army launched the operation to disarm Armenian separatists in Karabakh, eliminate military infrastructure, ensure the safety of civilians and reestablish constitutional governance.

The operation compelled the illegal Armenian armed groups to surrender, leading to the dissolution of the so-called Armenian administration that had imposed an occupying regime in the region.

The cities of Khankendi, Khojaly, Khojavend and Agdere, once deemed the capital of the occupying regime, fell under Azerbaijani control, thereby achieving comprehensive sovereignty and constitutional order throughout the nation.

“Exactly one year ago, the heroic Azerbaijani Army fully restored state sovereignty. As a result of the anti-terror operation that lasted less than a day, separatists were wiped out, Azerbaijan fully ensured its state sovereignty, international law triumphed and Azerbaijan demonstrated its strength once again,” Aliyev said during an opening ceremony of Karabakh University in the city of Khankendi following its renovation.

“I am confident that the Sept. 20 victory will be extensively commemorated in Azerbaijan from now on,” the president said.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan slammed Armenia's criticism of its operation.

Criticizing an earlier statement by Yerevan labelling the operation an attack on the region and "ethnic cleansing," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada said such comments were "unacceptable."

He asserted that the measures carried out on Sept. 19-20 last year, were "in full compliance with international law, including international humanitarian law."