Four years have passed since the liberation of Aghdam from Armenian occupation.

Axar.az reports that the counter-offensive operation launched by the Azerbaijani Army on September 27, 2020, concluded on November 9, 2020. During the 44-day Patriotic War, the Azerbaijani Army liberated over 300 settlements and strategic heights in the Aghdara, Murovdagh, and Zangilan regions.

With the liberation of Shusha on November 8, Armenia realized its defeat and was forced to sign an act of capitulation. On November 10, 2020, a trilateral declaration was signed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

According to the second clause of the declaration, the city of Aghdam and the occupied parts of Aghdam district were returned to Azerbaijan on November 20, 2020, ending 27 years of occupation.

Furthermore, as per the sixth clause of the declaration, Kalbajar district was liberated on November 25, 2020, and Lachin district on December 1, 2020. Azerbaijan achieved the liberation of Aghdam, Kalbajar, and Lachin without any casualties.

On November 20, 2020, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev addressed the nation on the occasion of Aghdam district's liberation from occupation. In his speech, the President emphasized that the liberation of Aghdam was a result of the trilateral declaration signed on November 10. Calling it a historic event, President Aliyev noted that 73% of Aghdam district had been under occupation for 27 years.

President Aliyev highlighted that Aghdam's liberation was achieved through a glorious military victory. He stated that if Azerbaijan had not defeated Armenia on the battlefield, Armenia would not have willingly vacated Azerbaijani lands.

As per a decree signed by President Ilham Aliyev, November 20 is designated as Aghdam City Day. Additionally, to honor the liberation, the Azerbaijani government established the "For the Liberation of Aghdam" medal. Military personnel who displayed bravery and heroism during the operations for Aghdam's liberation were awarded this medal by the President's decree.

It is noteworthy that Aghdam district had been occupied by Armenian armed forces on July 23, 1993. During the occupation, Armenia plundered, destroyed, and erased the historical, cultural, and religious monuments, as well as cemeteries, in Aghdam city and surrounding settlements. In 2001, renowned American journalist and writer Thomas de Waal, during a visit to the occupied areas, likened Aghdam to Hiroshima, Japan, which had been devastated by an atomic bomb in 1945, due to the scale of destruction observed from the mosque's minaret. Since then, Aghdam has been referred to as the "Hiroshima of the Caucasus."