The famous Washington Post published an article about the celebration of Nowruz by President Ilham Aliyev in liberated Shusha.

Axar.az presents this article:

“President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev celebrated Nowruz holiday on Saturday last fall by lighting a bonfire in Shusha, a culturally important city liberated by Azerbaijan from Armenian troops during the war.

Shusha, which has been the center of Azerbaijani culture for centuries, came under Armenian control in 1992 during separatist operations in Nagorno-Karabakh. The return of the city by Azerbaijani troops in November last year was both symbolic and strategically important, as Shusha is located above the administrative center of Khankendi.

"Today we celebrate Nowruz in our ancient city of Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan. This is a historic event. It is a great happiness. God heard the prayers of the Azerbaijani people," Ilham Aliyev said after lighting a bonfire, the traditional way to celebrate Nowruz.

"Maybe Shusha was destroyed, maybe our historical sites in Shusha were destroyed by a hated enemy. But Shusha did not surrender. Shusha did not break. He protected his dignity, protected the national spirit of Azerbaijan, and today we see it again in Shusha," the head of state said.

"Last year, during the six-week war, Azerbaijan regained control over Karabakh and most of the surrounding territories occupied by Armenia," the article reads.