The liberation of Shusha broke the backbone of the Armenian army.

Axar.az reports that President Ilham Aliyev made the remarks during a meeting with residents in the city of Zangilan.

“With the liberation of Shusha, the Armenian army was effectively crippled. Armenian armed forces had, in fact, been surrounded,” the President stated.

Aliyev added that halting the war at that stage enabled Azerbaijan to regain the Kalbajar, Lachin, and Aghdam districts through political means and without further bloodshed.

“The decision to stop the war allowed us to secure the return of Kalbajar, Lachin, and Aghdam without bloodshed — effectively through an ultimatum. The ultimatum was simple: if Armenia did not withdraw from these territories within a short period, all remaining Armenian armed formations in Karabakh would be destroyed. The order had already been given, and the 15,000-strong Armenian military contingent would have been eliminated. That is why Armenia accepted our demands and withdrew from Kalbajar, Lachin, and Aghdam,” he said.

The President stressed that no outside force pressured Armenia at the time, attributing the outcome solely to Azerbaijan’s firm position.

He also stated that subsequent tactical, military, and political measures paved the way for the September 2023 anti-terror operation, which he said lasted only several hours and resulted in the full restoration of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty.

“All of this glorious history will remain with us forever. Our generation will never forget it, and the younger generation must know it — in schools, in families, and throughout society. This proud history is a source of national pride and always will be,” Aliyev added.