On May 28, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Əliyev, met with the people who had returned to Lachin and presented them with the keys to their homes.
The EPA reports that the head of our state spoke at the meeting.

President Ilham Əliyev

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- Today is Independence Day. Dear Lachish, first of all, I congratulate you and all the Azerbaijani people on Independence Day. Today is a double celebration. Because today the inhabitants of Lachin have returned to their hometown after a long break, and I would like to congratulate you and all the Azerbaijani people on this relationship.
It is on 28 May that we organize this meeting. Today, the independent Azerbaijani state has strengthened its position internationally, but today the independent Azerbaijani state is capable of achieving any results.
Today, the new symbol of the new city of Lachin once again shows how strong our independence is. Because in just seven to eight months, much of the city has been completely rebuilt and given to your rank. The first 20 families have already been based in Lachin since yesterday and many additional families will arrive by the end of June. Thus, in the first phase, there will be about 4,000 people, perhaps many in Lachish.
Altogether, 700 buildings were constructed over a period of 7-8 months, 620 of which were individual residential buildings, 9 multi-storey buildings, and 144 apartments. Thus, 764 families can now live in Lachin. But this is not yet our full program. The City of Lachin's Head Plan has been drawn up and will be presented today. We have a very accurate picture of what will be done in the second phase in Lachin, and thus I believe that more people will be able to live in Lachin by the end of the year.
In parallel, a medical facility is now being prepared. The school will be ready for the new school year, with all the other necessary conditions being created. In a presentation to me yesterday, I saw that it meant creating a facility with them. Agro and Senior Park is already being created, with more than 1,100 jobs to be created. So it creates all the conditions for both living and working, and as you can see, today the city of Lachin has become one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
After we liberated our native lands from the invaders, I said we would turn Karabakh and Eastern Zanzibar into a paradise. If there is a description of Paradise, look at it today. Beautiful landscapes, magnificent mountains, beautiful buildings, and houses are all very enjoyable so that people can live comfortably here and that the modern symbol of Lachin is the same as the success of Azerbaijan.
I also have to tell him that all our cities and villages that are being created on liberated land are at this level. Yesterday, I attended the construction of newly formed villages in the kulgar and Lachin regions and will be used in the near future. That is, extensive construction work is being done in all liberated areas. So, this once again shows that we -- the owners of those lands -- are here to build, to create. The evil enemy has destroyed, destroyed, and destroyed our cities and villages for 30 years and has not given us a chance to live. In just two and a half years, however, we have already placed the first group of former displaced persons in the village of Aleali, in the village of Talisman, and the third residence, wherever the former displaced people return, has been the city of Lachin. We will also completely build the village of Zabux by September this year and give it to the Zabuxites. As you know, the villages of Zabux and Sus were liberated from the invaders on the same day as the city of Lachin, where active work is carried out. Thus, in both the Lachin region and all other circuits, we have done even greater things year after yearwe're going to provide our ducks with normal conditions.
The invasion of Lachin was a great tragedy for all of us, first and foremost for you because you could no longer live in your native lands, but also for a young, independent Azerbaijan. Because the conquering of Lachish and the former mountainous region of Armenia were geographically established. The Lachin region was conquered in May 1992, 10 days after Shushan. The restoration of our independence was not at all old. The desceased enemy had already openly assaulted us. Unfortunately, neither the Azerbaijani leadership nor the opposition forces that sought leadership have been able to recognize their responsibilities, and in many cases both have committed treachery. Political intentions were behind the handover of the Armenians. The AXC-Conflict couple were keen on power. He also took the most ugly actions to seize power in any way, and he handed over Shushan and Lachish to the enemy. See, too, the symbolic significance of these dates - that is, the release of Lachish and the dates of the meeting we are holding here today. Lachish was conquered in May, and in May the Lachish returned to Lachish. True, 31 years later, but we have returned.
In April 1993, Kulgar was conquered by the forces that had already sought power and had seized power. In April, we completely restored our territorial integrity by establishing a border post on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border with Lachin. That is, there is a connection between these dates, and although Azerbaijan lived as an independent country at the time, it could not pursue independent politics. Azerbaijan was weak, powerless, and the country's destructive processes actually challenged newly acquired independence. The country was experiencing a recession, a political crisis, a military crisis, a struggle for power, and a civil war. The reason for all this was the evil activities of the People's War-Muslim couple at the time.
This month, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Great Teacher Heydər Əliyev, and the events will continue until the end of the year. It was after he came to Azerbaijan's leadership that Azerbaijan was able to rise up, Azerbaijan was able to develop, and the civil war ended. Since October 1993, after he was elected president, Azerbaijan has been recognized as an exemplary country in the world. At that time, however, the situation was very different. After the invasion of Lachish, Kulgar, and Shusha, the Armenian armed forces naturally gained considerable strategic advantage and were able to conquer other lands.
You know, I've been trying for many years to end this occupation through talks. The conversations I have had for nearly 20 years show this again. However, you, the entire Azerbaijani people, and the entire world knew that Armenia did not want to leave our lands, nor did it want to leave the occupied territories. Simply for the sake of the vision, to deceive international mediators, to confuse the international community, he suggested that yes, they seemed willing to return the five districts, but Lachin and Kulgar should remain in their hands forever. And we could never come to terms with that. I have always said that our territorial integrity must be fully restored. Today?thanks to the heroism of the Azerbaijani Army. We have defeated the enemy on the battlefield. It would have been better if it had been through talks but I was saying we had to be prepared for every option and we all had to bring freedom day closer and closer. We have strengthened our economy during the course of the talks and we are not dependent on anyone today. We are one of the rare countries in the world that are fully economically independent. We've increased our political strength, they're accounting for Azerbaijan today. At least no initiative can be undertaken on regional security and development issues without Azerbaijan's consent. I say, at least regionally, but at the same time, Azerbaijan's position on many issues worldwide today is considered an important position.
We have built a strong army. This army has devastated the enemy for 44 days, bringing them to its knees and pushing them out of our land. We raised a beautiful young generation — a generation of people who were patriotic, upbringing, and raised in the national spirit. These young men have liberated our land. Young people from these regions, who had not seen Lachish, Kulgar, and other lands under attack at the time, were willing to die. May God grant mercy to all our witnesses. We will never forget their heroism. Thanks to their heroism and courage, look, we are sitting here today and life is alive in these lands today.
The Second Civil War is our glorious history. The period from the second world war was also very important to the future. Because by the end of the war, the intermediaries who had been involved in the matter did not even know what they would do next. Armenia was in a state of complete weakness, and it still cannot heal the pain and wounds of a bitter defeat. They were given a huge psychological injury and trauma, which is natural. Therefore, Azerbaijan again took the lead. That is, the reality that we are experiencing today is based on the results of the period after The Second World War. We have said that the services of the ATT's Minsk group - in fact, it was a bear service, - are not needed. We said that a peace treaty should be signed based on the principle of territorial integrity between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We have taken the necessary steps to achieve what we want in areas controlled by the Russian peacekeeping mission in Cambodia today. On April 23, we settled the issue once and for all by placing a border crossing on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. Already, the territory has been restored as a result of the Second Civil War. However, the border crossing was the last settlement that had uncontrolled movement from Armenia to Azerbaijan and from there in the opposite direction. The action is still there now but it is fully controlled.
So we were the ones who created all these realities. As a result, after the end of the Second Civil War, we created a new reality by placing a border post on both the Azerbaijani-Armenian border and the Russian peacekeeping forces and forcing Armenia to repeat what we said. I said this after the end of the Second Civil War, and a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia is possible in that case they will say: Azerbaijan is Azerbaijan! They were "Karabakh is Armenia" just 3-4 years ago they said and believed they could keep our land under eternal occupation. They felt that we Azerbaijani people would reconcile with this situation. And I was saying no and we would not reconcile. I told them at the time, both to their advocates and to those who support them today, that we would never reconcile. Life once again showed him that we do what we say. The disclosure made a few days ago by the Armenian leadership is actually a repeat of what I said a few years ago, "Karabakh is Azerbaijan!"
Now that Armenia has recognized our territorial integrity, there is actually no serious obstacle to a peace treaty. I am sure that in the near future, - if Again Armenia does not fake and still does not change its position - a peace treaty can be signed. If it is signed, it is very good, it is not signed, but in any case the Azerbaijani government cannot face any problems. Because we are the strong side, we are the ones who have a strong position at the negotiating table, we are the ones who have strong positions at the border. A peace agreement has not been signed but we will live in a comfortable and secure environment.
I remember well, too, that on My birthday on December 24, 2011, I met the Lachish people in the town of Tashkent in Aghabadi. I don't usually celebrate my birthdays, including my birthdays, I celebrated my 60th birthday on the Jigsaw Plain, and I celebrated my 50th birthday with the Lachish people in the town of Tashkent. At that time, more than 550 homes were constructed in the town of Tashkent. I said at that meeting that the day would come, we were going to build more beautiful houses for you in Lachin and the day came. It's only been 11 years since that date, we're already meeting you in Lachin and there can be no greater happiness than that. I am sure we all live happily today. We live with great optimism. We live with a sense of pride. Because the Second Civil War is our source of eternal pride. This Victory will be with us forever, and the younger generation, the children, look, they will live with the pride of this Victory.
Now is the time to build and create. Once again, I want to say that the icon of today's Lachish city, - although I note, it is simply the first phase, - shows that we are the people who built and created and show that this land is ours. This has always been our land. Simply, the evil enemy, along with his foreign adversaries, had used our weaknesses, used powerlessness to conquer these lands, and wanted to live there forever.
I would like to inform him that the Armenians were illegally settled in the Lachin region as well as in the Kulgar region. It is considered a military crime with international conventions. But I saw their situation when I arrived in September. I cannot compare the conditions they set up for themselves to anything. Because only they can know how a person lived in those circumstances.
Immediately after we returned to Lachish, we had already begun construction work. I arrived in September, we have already started work since the end of September.
You know that by the end of the Second Civil War, much of The Lachin, Kulgar, and Agdam were still under attack. I repeatedly said during the war that the Armenian leadership should give me history, when it would pull its troops out of our lands, but then we stop the warwe can. After Shushan was liberated from the invasion and many villages were liberated, Armenia actually signed a capitulation act. According to the agreement, there was to be a road link between the region where the Armenians lived and Armenia, and Russian peacekeeping forces were to oversee it. Thus, the city of Lachin was still under actual occupation, and it was until November 10 that I insisted that a new route would be taken and that the city of Lachin would be returned to us once a new route was made. Three years had been set for the road to be approved, simply to agree the route route. Not only did we agree, but we also built this road during the year, and in early August we sent a notice to the Armenians and Russian peacekeeping forces who had already lived in Lachin that we were already coming, please get out of here. After that, we were asked to give some time, to be given until August 25, after which they would evacuate the villages of Lachin, Zabux and Sus. And I agreed because 20 days is not that big a difference. Thus, on August 25, the last Armenian invader or illegal resident left Lachish, and on August 26, we returned to Lachish.
Look, it once again shows that every mixed land is dear and unborn to us. Every city, every village, is ours and there can be no share of the land. During the discussions, there were various stages and different points. There have been pressures and threats and some have made great efforts to reconcile us with the occupation. But our unwavering position, our will, has undermined all that effort. I was saying there could be no compromise. "Five circuits should be returned to us, two circuits should remain under the control of eternal enemies." We also had no intention of compromising a village and we proved it today. The border crossing station, which was set up on April 23, should also be a lesson for Armenians living in the region today. Unfortunately, they still rely on someone who will save them in the future, someone will wage war with the future Azerbaijan. These are all nonsense. During the Second Civil War, we showed strong will, and if no one dared intervene against us from the sidelines at the time, who will come and fight us in place of the Armenians after they have regained all this land today. First, it is illegal. We are in our native land, and the region of Cambodia, where the Armenians live today, is our ancient, legal land. Simply, we believe that they will understand for themselves, that they will come and step in to live under the Azerbaijani Flag. We are waiting for that. Therefore, we are not taking any other steps, and I believe that what has happened in two and a half years should already wake them up, wake them up from this dream, from this dream.
In two and a half years, all our plans have been consistently, gradually implemented and we are in the final step of our plans, that step will also be taken and I have no doubt about that. From here - the land of Lachin, where they have exploited for years, where they have settled illegally - I tell them once again that your book has been closed. The book "Miatsum" was closed, the book of separatism was closed. The dream of independence went after status. And the status is where we were still sent during the Second Civil War. Therefore, the only way is to obey Azerbaijani law, to be a loyal normal citizen of Azerbaijanaq, throwing fake government attributes into the garbage can, releasing "parliament." It looks like there's a "parliament" there, it's like there's a president there, there's a minister, they're all laughing. We simply endure. But everyone knows full well that we have every opportunity to conduct any operations in that region today. Therefore, "parliament" should be released, the element that calls itself "president" must surrender, and all "ministers," "deputies," and others must already put aside their duties. But then they may be compromised. But if that is the case, there may be talk of any amnesty. I should also state that in recent times international organisations have in fact fully agreed with our position. I already see this during various meetings. So why did they agree? Because we are right and because we are not even taking a step beyond our position. Therefore, no one is talking about independence, searching, or anything else today. Just the last messages that have come to us are such that what will be the outcome of the nail-biting leadership out there? Do they get amnesty, don't they? And I say that needs to be looked at. First, we sent a delegation there. My representative went and held the first meeting with them, and then we invited them to Baku so that we could talk. They refused. Thereafter, for the second time, we invited them to Baku. That is, representatives of the Armenian minority living in Cambodia. And they refused. There will be no more third invitations. Either they will come wrapped around their necks or things will progress differently now. Therefore, they may be granted amnesty only if they voluntarily put aside all their false responsibilities and apply for Azerbaijani citizenship. And we will be looking at it yet. My word is firm, everyone knows it, both in Azerbaijan and in the world, including Armenia. We do what we say. Not a single word, as they say, hasn't stayed in the air and that word won't stay in the air either. If I say an amnesty can be looked at, they should not miss this opportunity either. They have missed a lot of opportunities, a lot of opportunities and every time, as they say, we had to hit them in the head so they could come to their own.
Some time ago, two of our soldiers crossed the road into Armenia, where they were tortured. I have to say that after the end of the Second Civil War, armenia and Azerbaijani representatives have reached such an agreement, if anyone has strayed, - because the likelihood is enormous, especially in the winter months, you know that the climate here is very harsh, the mountains are the valleys, the roads can be lost, - if that happens, those people should be returned in a maximum of two days. We were following that. We kept them for a maximum of two days and questioned them and returned them, both civilians and militants. See what they did! They, first of all, have brutally beaten our stranded militants, they have been handcugged, they have humiliated their dignity, they have captured moments of beatings on video. They have since been arrested and already convicted. Where has this looked? At a trilateral meeting in Brussels on May 14, I said it was unbearable. If you break that agreement, you will suffer the consequences yourself. Return our militants immediately. But instead they were given jobs and sentenced to 11 years. There has been no trial, no lawyer, no judge or media representatives. Belis it a trial? This is lawlessness. So I still say today, it's not too late. Although Armenia is not de facto, it has legal independence, and the concept of Armenia's borders is adopted in some way. They have to accept our terms. Delimitation if they don't want delimitation. Then the boundary will be there, wherever we say it will be. They know we can do that. No one will help them, nor will the retired French police or anyone else from Europe.
Therefore, delimitation must be based on our conditions, that is, on the basis of fair conditions, that the peace treaty must be based on international conditions, that our way to Armenia must be opened, and that representatives of the Armenian army, which is still rooted in Cambodia, must be removed. This is our terms. I am saying these conditions, look, here, in Lachin, that everyone can see that we are here today and that we will be here forever. Let them also know that the villages of Armenia are visible here. We see that those villages, or villages, should not forget.
Dear Lachish, you have lived in agony for many years, both physically and morally, in heavy conditions, in dormitories, in trains, and in tent cities. It was a moral torment that was heavier than that. So the pain of not being able to return to his native land is terrible. Everyone needs to understand and understand that. Many times, when I met with displaced persons from both Lachish and other occupied territories at the time, I gave them heartfelt encouragement, saying we would return and return! I could see hopes have been stagnant lately, which is natural. So it's been about 30 years. That is understandable. But I could not say when we would return. How could I have said it? But I knew we'd come back and if you watch a video of the meeting now 11 years ago, you'd see I said we'd come back and more beautiful houses would be built in Lachin. Look, that's what happened. Therefore, conditions must be best for you and for former displaced people like you, to be the most beautiful so that you can live comfortably here after so many painful years. We will try to ensure we continue to provide that.
I congratulate you on both your return and your holiday relationship and wish you well and success. Goodbye.

x x x x

The head of our state then presented the keys to homes to residents returning to Lachin.
Residents thanked the head of our state.
Resident Elbrus Sadykov: Mr. President, we welcomed it. I had long wished I could kiss you. Thank God I have achieved my dream. I'm very happy. May God spare your souls. We are proud of you.
President Ilham Əliyev: Thank you.
Calm Isaq Musayev: Mr. President, I both say to you, "Thank you!" and congratulate you. I ask God for mercy for you, for our soldiers, for their long life, for their health, and for our witnesses. I wish our gas, our disabled, to recover soon. Thank you for giving us this day.
President Ilham Əliyev: Thank you.
Elbrus Sadykov: Mr. President, after 31 years of invasion, I greet you in Lachin, the city you have transformed into a paradise, and say, "Welcome!" We have lived with that longing for 31 years. Thank God we have returned to our land. When I arrived in the evening, I was proud, Lachish's beauty, quick structural work, eternal work has been done with you and we feel very proud. You have brought back our land, and you have given us life. As an elder, I thank you on behalf of the elders of Lachish and all the Lachish people. God bless you. Mr. President, during the 44 days of war we watched all your speeches, your information. We gave witnesses. May God grant them mercy.
President Ilham Əliyev: Amen.
Elbrus Sadykov: May God give our gases health and happiness. Shortly thereafter, you liberated our lands and elevated the heads of 50 million Azerbaijani people. May God be with you. I wish you well and happiness. Today we have three wonderful celebrations - Independence Day, our return day to Lachish and the day of the presidential election in Turkey. We pray to God that today we will see a president who is our friend, brother, back, and supporter. May God grant him good health.
President Ilham Əliyev: Thank you.
Elbrus Sadykov: We look forward to hearing a good news. If God wills, we will hear. I also had a wish. Thank God that he too has been able to see him. I always watched you on television. When the war ended, I kissed you on television and thanked you. May God not make you lose our heads over us. Today I achieved my dream, my greatest wish was fulfilled. We have returned and are both happy and sad. There are those who have moved out of the world from our loved ones, and their spirits will rejoice in you. God bless you. May God always make you our President. I wish you would celebrate your 100th birthday, look, here.
Resident Ajdar Alejandro: Mr. President, we welcomed you in our homeland, our land. I sincerely congratulate you, Mehriban Lady Aliyeva, on May 28. I would like to point out with great regret that our older generation, personally my father, my mother, are unable to attend here today. I am both happy and sad to be here today. Even if they don't participate here, we are in Lachish as a child and I want to let you know that from now on we will live in our hometown, we will create. We will do everything we can to make our lachish beautiful. Mr. President, this is We thank you very much for living the day for us. Thank you. May God be pleased with you.
President Ilham Əliyev: Thank you.
Resident Gadir Veliyev: Dear President, Mr. Supreme Commander, you gave us victory in the 44-day war. May God grant mercy to our witnesses and give health to our gas. Your wise policy has ended 31 years of longing for us Lachish. I congratulate you and your family on behalf of all the Lachish people on this relationship. I wish you a long life and well-being.
President Ilham Əliyev: Thank you, blessed be your holiday again.

x x x x

Memorial photos were then taken.

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12:45 p.m.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Əliyev met with the people who returned to Lachin.

According to the EPA, the head of state has presented them.