Armenia plundered Azerbaijan’s natural resources during the occupation.

Axar.az reports that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev made the remarks in his address to the nation from Khankendi on the occasion of Victory Day.

“Today, we are building and creating in liberated Garabagh. Today, we, the owners of these lands, are showing the whole world that this is our land. This is because we are a constructive and creative nation. During the occupation, Armenia did nothing but plunder our natural resources, cut down our forests, and illegally exploit our mines. We, by contrast, are building cities from scratch,” the president said.

The head of state recalled that all Azerbaijani cities and villages had been razed to the ground during the occupation.

“This was an unprecedented act of barbarism. Armenia destroyed and desecrated our historical monuments and mosques. Now, large-scale construction efforts are underway, and the Great Return Program is being implemented. Already, 97,000 people live, study, and work in the liberated territories, and every month we witness the return of former displaced persons to their native lands,” he said.