The declaration of Lachin as the cultural capital of the CIS was greeted with great gratitude by both the people of Lachin and the entire Azerbaijani people.

Axar.az reports that President Ilham Aliyev said these words in his speech at the limited session of the Council of Heads of State of the CIS held in Moscow.

"According to the decision of the CIS Humanitarian Cooperation Council, the city of Lachin in the Eastern Zangezur region of Azerbaijan was declared the cultural center of the CIS in 2025. Lachin is one of the Azerbaijani cities that was under the occupation of Armenia for almost 30 years and was almost completely destroyed. Today Lachin has already been restored. A new life has begun here, former internally displaced persons have returned," said the head of state.