First Vice President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva has congratulated the people of Azerbaijan on the historic victory. The congratulations of the First Vice President say:
“Dear compatriots! Today is a great day - Victory Day!
The territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan has been restored! Historical justice has been restored! I sincerely congratulate the people of Azerbaijan on this truly significant event! Armenia has acknowledged its full and unconditional capitulation! We have honorably fulfilled our noble mission of salvation! We have defended our Motherland, liberated the ancient Azerbaijani lands from occupation, and won the Victory that Azerbaijan has been waiting for! For many years we have been waiting for the triumph of truth and historical justice. Our participation in the negotiation process for a peaceful settlement of the conflict for almost 30 years is a clear indication of our commitment to peace. For 27 years, Armenia has ignored UN Security Council resolutions calling for the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of the occupying forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan. The military provocations committed by Armenia were endless. Azerbaijan has shown to the whole world and proved that it is able to liberate its occupied lands independently, by its own strength and power, and it has done so! During the military operations, which lasted from September 27, 2020, the Azerbaijani Army liberated about 300 settlements, including 5 cities and 4 settlements, numerous strategic heights. Just a few hours after the liberation of Shusha, the pearl of Azerbaijani culture, our fighters managed to take control of 72 settlements and 9 strategic heights. Undoubtedly, this put the military and political leader of Armenia in a desperate situation. Our army fought for its sacred values - our homeland, our common home, and endured and won this sacred struggle! At these moments, Azerbaijanis all over the world feel joy and pride. He is proud of our President, our brave soldiers and officers, the patriotism, close unity and solidarity of the Azerbaijani people! Each of us is very grateful to our President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev! Under his leadership, a modern, strong Azerbaijani Army was created! Thanks to his unshakable will, courage, perseverance and determination, the Azerbaijani Army shook the enemy, determined the outcome of the war and put an end to the victory. The respect, love, trust, confidence and support of the President of Azerbaijan, the source of power of the Azerbaijani people, helped him to end the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, one of the longest-running conflicts in Eurasia. Under his leadership, we have won a victory that restores the self-confidence of our people! The grandeur of this Victory will remain forever in the history of the Azerbaijani state! Dear brothers and sisters! As in the years of treacherous occupation of our lands, there were tragedies and losses during the current wars. As a result of savage attacks far from the zone of military operations, civilians of our cities and villages were killed. Children, women and the elderly were killed. But this did not break the determination of Azerbaijan! My deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims! Their blood did not remain on the ground! The Azerbaijani Army, the Azerbaijani state has taken revenge for the bloodshed of all our compatriots! The bright memory of the generation that defended and revived our homeland, the respect and sincere pride for this generation will forever remain in the hearts of every Azerbaijani! Our soldiers and officers fought without sparing their lives. They set an example of nobility and true patriotism. Today, all of them are united by their bravery for the sake of the Motherland and its power! We bow before their courage, will and enthusiasm, before everyone who shook the aggressor with his perseverance and restored the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan! We bow to the parents who raised such brave children, whose names are forever written in the history of the Azerbaijani state! May God bless all our martyrs who died for the homeland! This war has once again proved to us a truth we have known for centuries - the truth that a friend is known in a difficult day. Thanks to all our friends around the world! Thankfully, they shared our grief and openly expressed their principled and fair position in support of the Azerbaijani people. I express my special gratitude to the brotherly people of Turkey and personally to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Their solidarity and support arouses pride in every Azerbaijani!
I thank the media. Thanks to their high professionalism, objectivity, impartiality, efficiency and responsibility, it was possible to convey the realities of today's Azerbaijan to the world. Congratulations to our compatriots who defend the position of Azerbaijan outside their homeland and show the aggressive nature of Armenia to the international community! I am grateful to all the people of Azerbaijan who have united like a fist on the back and demonstrated the strength of the Azerbaijani state and our solidarity to the whole world! Dear compatriots! Congratulations to all of you on the occasion of the Great Victory Day! Happy Great Victory Day! Happy Day of Honor and Power of Azerbaijan!
Happy Karabakh Liberation Day!
We have won! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!
With deep respect and love, Your Mehriban. "