Today in Azerbaijan the Day of the City of Kalbajar is celebrated

November 25 is celebrated as Kalbajar City Day in Azerbaijan.

BAKU.WS reminds that on July 31, 2023, by the corresponding decree of President Ilham Aliyev, days of cities located in the territories liberated from occupation in our country were established.

Kalbajar was supposed to be returned to Azerbaijan on November 15 in accordance with the trilateral statement signed by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, head of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. However, the Armenian side requested an additional 10 days to withdraw its units from the region and for the resettlers to leave. Showing humanity and taking into account the request of the President of Russia, Azerbaijan agreed to postpone the return of Kalbajar until November 25.

Kalbajar region was occupied by Armenian armed formations on April 2, 1993. As a result of the occupation, about 60,000 Azerbaijanis were expelled from their native lands as part of ethnic cleansing, 511 civilians were killed, and 321 people were taken prisoner and went missing.

After the occupation of Kalbajar, the UN Security Council adopted resolution No. 822 demanding the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all occupation forces from Kalbajar and other occupied regions of Azerbaijan. But like other resolutions, this document remained only on paper.

The Azerbaijani army ensured the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions that had remained unfulfilled for almost 30 years in just 44 days. The withdrawal of Armenian occupation troops from Kalbajar was made possible thanks to the political will of the President of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, who successfully led our army's actions during the Patriotic War.

During the occupation, the armed forces of Armenia occupied mountain peaks, a forest belt with an area of about 37,852 hectares, a total of 145 villages, one city, one urban-type settlement, about 13,000 private houses were looted, 87 historical monuments were destroyed, 29 industrial, construction and 134 cultural and household facilities were burned.

As a result of the long-term occupation, the natural wealth and ecosystem of the Kalbajar region suffered serious damage, flora and fauna were affected, specially protected natural territories were harmed, and the ecological balance was disturbed. Large-scale arson, pollution of water resources, deliberate cutting down of valuable forests, destruction of natural monuments, as well as predatory exploitation of underground and surface natural resources caused significant losses. In particular, the Söyüdlü (Zod) gold deposits with industrial reserves of 112.5 tons, as well as Agduzdagh and Tutkhun, whose reserves exceed 13 tons, were systematically plundered by Armenia for many years.

Currently, restoration work continues in Kalbajar, new infrastructure is being built, and the region is being revived.