On August 23, the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs held a commemorative event on the 26th anniversary of the occupation of Fuzuli and Jabrayil regions by Armenian armed forces.
Employees of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs, heads of “Karabakh War Disabled, Veterans and Families of Martyrs” public unions in occupied territories, IDPs from Fuzuli and Jabrayil regions attended the event.
First, the martyrs who died for the freedom and territorial integrity of our lands were commemorated with a minute of silence.
Chairman of the State Committee Rovshan Rzayev, said while speaking about the causes and consequences of the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia that in the early years of restoration of the state independence, due to the deceleration in the army building, absence of a unified command and incompetence of the military-political administration our people suffered a lot. That is why Armenia implemented its own plans of occupation owing to military assistance from abroad. Armenians, who occupied Jabrayil and Fuzuli on August 23, 1993, committed massacres, robberies and destruction in these regions as well, like in every place occupied by them, and drove the local residents out of their native lands. Although the UN Security Council adopted a Resolution No. 874 demanding Armenia to unconditionally withdraw its troops from the occupied territories such as Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Gubadli and other territories, this resolution is still not implemented either like the others.
It was noted that during the severe and critical days of Azerbaijan, when the country was experiencing hardships, our prominent intellectuals appealed to the devoted son of our nation, National Leader Heydar Aliyev. As a result of successful operation carried out by the Azerbaijani Army in January 1994 under the guidance of Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Great Leader, 22 settlements of Fuzuli were liberated from occupation. Immediately after this, reconstruction of the infrastructure in the liberated territories of the region began. Today, 70 thousand of people of the region live in their homeland which was liberated from occupation. This population accommodates in 22 residential areas and 19 newly built settlements.
In April 2016, the heroic soldiers and officers of our army carried out the order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev on preventing the Armenian military provocations on the contact line of the troops in Karabakh, made the occupation forces withdraw from Lalatapa high hill of Jabrayil region and surrounding areas. As a result, the civilians were able to return to the village Jojug Marjanli and lived in their own homeland, and the village was restored shortly afterwards, and the relocation of the inhabitants temporarily settled in different regions as internally displaced persons began. Although a part of Fuzuli is under occupation, construction and renovation works are underway in the territories which are under our control on the instruction of the President Ilham Aliyev. As a result of the implemented work, the housing and living conditions of IDPs are being improved and opportunities for increase of their material welfare are being created. In recent years, settlements have been built for IDPs and work in this direction continues.
The heads of the organizations of “Karabakh War Disabled, Veterans and Families of Martyrs” public union in the occupied regions, intelligentsia from Fuzuli and Jabrayil regions and former warriors made speeches at the event. In all speeches, confidence was expressed that as a result of the purposeful and decisive policy pursued by the President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan will be restored, and IDPs will return to their homeland.
