The 2020 Patriotic War lasted 44 days. During this period, Azerbaijan drove the Armenian occupiers from the occupied territories and liberated more than 300 cities and villages on the battlefield. On November 10, 2020, Armenia signed an act of capitulation. The fighting stopped, but part of Azerbaijan’s territory remained under occupation.

Axar.az reports that President Ilham Aliyev made the remarks while addressing the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

"For three years, Azerbaijan sought to resolve the issue of fully restoring its sovereignty through peaceful means. However, Armenia used the ceasefire as an opportunity to rebuild its military forces and, with the help of its new patrons in the West, attack Azerbaijan once again. That is precisely what happened in September 2023, when the “Iron Fist” of the Azerbaijani soldier spoke once more.

In less than 24 hours, Armenia’s occupying army in Garabagh was completely routed. Azerbaijan fully restored its sovereignty and territorial integrity, putting an end to separatism. The leaders of the separatists, war criminals and child killers were brought to justice in Azerbaijan.

In terms of both its essence and form, this was an analogue of the Nuremberg Tribunal. However, this time, Armenian fascists sat in the dock. Those who once threatened us, saying they would come in tanks, occupy Baku and drink tea here, are now drinking Azerbaijani tea in our prisons. Meanwhile, their tanks are on display at the Military Trophy Park. Incidentally, to fully understand the essence and nature of the occupation, as well as the historic Victory of the Azerbaijani people, our guests can visit Victory Park, the Victory Museum and the Military Trophy Park.

I have dwelt on this issue at length because it has global significance. Until mechanisms are developed to ensure the implementation of decisions and resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council and other international organizations, wars and conflicts will continue, and new ones will emerge.

Had sanctions been imposed on Armenia in a timely manner for its occupation, genocide and ethnic cleansing, Azerbaijan would not have been compelled to break the back of Armenian fascism on the battlefield. The aggressor’s impunity only further magnified the scale of its brazenness.

War was not our choice. Armenia forced us into war. Its supporting patrons apparently did not believe that Azerbaijan would restore its sovereignty and uphold international law by force. But they were all mistaken. They evidently did not understand the character of our proud, freedom-loving people, who remain true to their traditions and moral values," the head of state noted.