GG News Bureau

NEW YORK, 9^th September.  Nagorno Karabakh has a long and bloody history. This region of the former Soviet Union has been a source of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan for decades. Azerbaijan has recovered much of the territory that had been seized by Armenia, and has worked hard to improve the region and integrate it into the country.

I recently joined a group of journalists that toured the Karabakh region. These are my observations. But first some background on the conflict.

In the late 1991-early 1992, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and during political instability in Azerbaijan, Armenia began military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In May 1992, the town of Shusha and Lachin district, located between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, were occupied. In 1993, the Armenian armed forces captured six more Azerbaijani districts around Nagorno-Karabakh – Kalbajar, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Gubadli and Zangilan.

 

Armenia’s military campaign resulted in the occupation of 20 percent of the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan – Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven adjacent districts, including the town of Khankandi, the districts of Khojaly, Shusha, Lachin, Khojavand, Kalbajar, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Gubadli and Zangilan, as well as 13 villages in Tartar district, 7 villages in Gazakh district and 1 village in Sadarak district in Nakhchivan.

During the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, more than one million Azerbaijanis became internally displaced, while 20,000 people were killed in military operations and 50,000 were wounded and became disabled.

The conflict continued into 2020, when Azerbaijan accused Armenia of violating the norms of international law, firing on Azerbaijani settlements and military positions from several directions using various weapons, including heavy artillery, as a result of which civilians and servicemen were killed.

Azerbaijan made significant gains during this stage of the long conflict with Armenia, regaining most of the occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh and large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh, including the culturally significant city of Shusha.

The war ended on 10 November 2020, when a trilateral ceasefire agreement was signed between Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia, which forced Armenia to return all the remaining occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. Devastation was left in its wake, but efforts to rebuild began at once.

Arriving in Karabakh, the city of Aghdam one sees the massive destruction all over. Aghdam was the scene of brutal fighting in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. People were uprooted from their villages, and fled for their lives.

Deputy Spokesman for Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ayxan Hacizade told the visiting media delegation that “The process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan is, first of all, a bilateral process. We need facilitating aspects here rather than any mechanism of mediation in order to achieve progress. Currently, the European Union and Russia are making some efforts on bilateral grounds and Azerbaijan is also interested in them.”

He said that “the main issues on the agenda now are a peace treaty, delimitation of borders, transport issues, as well as people who are unaccounted for and the problem of mines. First of all, Armenia should respond to these issues.”

“The takeover of the center of the city of Lachin by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, deployment of Azerbaijani military servicemen in the villages of Zabukh and Sus and full control of these territories by our country indicate again that Mr. President knows very well what needs to be done and when and takes our people to these goals by using political, diplomatic and military means and other resources of our country. With that twit yesterday, Mr. President again made every Azerbaijani citizen feel the joy we had in the wartime,” he said.

In Aghdam we saw scattered graves in one field of Azeri soldiers and civilians together with their names carved on tomb stone with their photos and the national flag flying besides it.

The destruction encompassed homes, cities, schools, archeological sights, religious places such as churches and Mosques was completely ruined and turned into cattle and pig shelter.

According to Azerbaijan official account, there are about 4000 missing people and the active landmine in the region is a great concern.

Azerbaijan officials say that Armenian planted landmines about at the entrance of each city and Armenians refused to share maps for clearing the landmine areas for reconstruction. One can see the minefield spread in all direction as far you can see.

Aghdam is a ghost town and the nominal capital of the Aghdam District of Azerbaijan which was founded in the 18th century, it was granted city status in 1828 and grew considerably during the Soviet period. It lies 26 km (16 miles) from Stepanakert at the eastern foot of the Karabakh Range, on the outskirts of the Karabakh plain.

Aghdam had 28,031 inhabitants before war now it is ruins. We met the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action and surveyed the area which still has active landmines and also met with Emin Huseynov, Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the liberated territories of the Karabakh economic region.

We were told by the officials that during the offensive against Aghdam, Karabakh Armenian forces committed hostage-taking, indiscriminate fire, and the forcible displacement of civilians and that “after the city was seized, it was intentionally looted and burned under orders of Karabakh Armenian authorities.”

Aghdam’s cemeteries, including the historic 18th-century tombs of Imarat Garvand were destroyed, desecrated and looted. You could see the unearthed graves and only just one damaged tombstone remaining in the Imarat Garvand cemetery.

Azerbaijan considers the actions of Aghdam Armenian forces revenge for the Azeri destruction of Mardakert in September 1992. The city was reduced to rubble, leaving behind the detritus of what had once been a vibrant community. In the agreement that ended the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war,

the town and its surrounding district came under Azerbaijani control. The government predicted in 2020 that it would take 2–5 years for people to be able to live in the city again and that the last landmines would be removed in 15 to 25 years’ time.

According to the Azerbaijan authorities, the total mines planted by the armed forces of Armenia were one million. Mr. Araz Imanov, Senior Advisor of the Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the liberated part of the Karabakh Economic Region gave us a tour of the territories told group of visiting journalists that after Armenia humiliating defeat against Azeri, the areas in occupied Karabakh

What we saw in Aghdam and neighboring areas is people willingness to rebuild the city. The Azerbaijan government announced in May of 2021 its plans of rebuilding Aghdam city center.

We saw tractors and earth-moving equipment at work, building the road between Barda and Aghdam. Construction started on May 28.

Commemorating the war, the city has a “Victory Museum” and “Open Air Occupation Museum”, “the Industry Park”, the first residential building and visited the Panah Ali Khan palace, the Imarat tombs and other reconstruction projects, all these place we visited in Aghdam.

The officials told us that according to the announced plan of the city, eight nearby villages will be merged with Aghdam, with a projected population of around 100,000.

The residential areas will consist of multi-storey buildings and private houses. The city will be surrounded by gardens and be rebuilt as “smart city“, to become a green energy zone.

Inside the city, a large green belt covering an area of 125 hectares, an artificial lake, canals and bridges, motorways, pedestrian and bike paths, and electricity powered public transportation are also planned for the city of Aghdam.

We had a tour of the new Aghdam Industrial Park, a hub which will generate new investment and industrial redevelopment of the city which had been slow due to the war. It is now reconnected with Azerbaijan, investment has been flowing into the region as Baku wishes to make a political point and illustrate how better off residents after the occupation.

Aghdam city is being redeveloped from what are essentially ruins, and an industrial park is being developed. Five Azeri businesses have been registered as the park residents.

Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the liberated territories of the Karabakh Economic Region (except Shusha district) Emin Huseynov told visiting journalists that “Azerbaijan can be considered as an exemplary country for the construction and restoration works carried out in the liberated territories in a short span of time.”

He noted that during the 30-year long occupation Armenians inflicted a great damage on the regional ecosystem, destroying Azerbaijan’s ethnic and cultural monuments.

Emin Huseynov mentioned that a total area destructed by Armenians comprises 54 thousand hectares on the scale of destructions during the Armenian occupation

“The preservation of Azerbaijani cultural heritage is our main priority. The Juma and Giyasli Mosques have been restored in Aghdam district. A Victory Museum and an Open Air Museum of Occupation will be constructed in Aghdam and Fuzuli districts,” Huseynov emphasized.

According to the officials Dadash-N LLC, will manufacture a variety of synthetic carpets as part of a project to be implemented in the Industrial Park, will build a factory on an area of two hectares. Within the project with the investment cost of 9.5 million manat (US$5.6 million) it plans to manufacture 700,000 square meters of carpets a year and provide 60 permanent jobs.

Local raw materials such as polypropylene, polyethylene and polyacryl, as well as Belgian and C+hinese technologies will be used to produce the carpets. Along with the sale of manufactured products on the domestic market, it’s planned to export them to fellow CIS countries – Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Veliyev LLC will implement a project for the manufacturing of precast concrete products. Within the project worth 2.5 million manat (US$1.4 million), it’s planned to manufacture 200,000 square meters of reinforced concrete products per year. The enterprise will provide permanent jobs for 80 people, and use Turkish and local technologies for the production.

Smartpoint LLC will organize the production of light poles and other devices powered by alternative and renewable energy sources (mainly solar energy) as part of another project to be implemented in the park. The investment cost of the project is 9.1 million manat (US$5.6 million), will create 80 permanent jobs and produce 21,000 light poles and other devices with a capacity of 40 megawatts per year. Along with the provision of the domestic market, it’s planned to export the manufactured products to European and CIS countries.

Ram International Transport and Trade LLC will manufacture polymer products as part of a project with the investment cost of 10 million manat (US$5.8 million), to be implemented in the park. The enterprise will be built on three hectares and create 500 permanent jobs. Along with provision of the domestic market, the manufactured products are planned to be exported to the countries of Europe and the CIS.

Ag Tekstil LLC will produce uniforms and overalls. The investment cost of the project is 5.5 million manat (US$3.2 million). The enterprise, which will be built on one hectare, is expected to create 110 permanent jobs, with products directed to meet domestic demand.

We visited Ganja a city in western Azerbaijan. In its east, the Nizami Ganjavi Mausoleum honors the revered 12th-century local poet. The ancient city of Ganja is an archaeological site with the ruins of a walled fort. The Imamzade complex features religious buildings with ornate blue tile work. Other notable landmarks include the Juma Mosque, with its large dome and ornamental fountains.

It has a population of around 335,600. The city has been a historic and cultural center throughout most of its existence. It was the capital of the Ganja Khanate until 1804; after Qajar Iran ceded it to the Russian Empire after the Treaty of Gulistan in 1813, it became part of the administrative divisions of the Georgia Governorate, Georgia-Imeretia Governorate, Tiflis Governorate, and Elizavetpol Governorate. After the dissolution of the Russian Empire and the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, it became a part of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, followed by Azerbaijan SSR, and, since 1991, the Republic of Azerbaijan.

We were told that reconstruction in the 21st century has led to dramatic changes in the city’s urban development, transforming the old Soviet city into a hub of high-rise, mixed-use buildings.

In 2008, Ganja Mausoleum Gates were built on the basis of sketches of ancient Ganja gates made by local master Ibrahim Osmanoğlu in 1063.

During the Nagorno-Karabakh second war in 2020, Ganja came under bombardment by Armenian armed forces several times, killed 32 civilians and injured over 50 civilians.

On 11 October, a residential apartment block in city of Ganja was destroyed overnight in an Armenian missile strike, killing 10 civilians and wounding 34 others.

Armenian Ministry of Defence denied that this came from its territory, while Artsakh stated that Armenian forces had targeted and destroyed the Ganja military airbase on Ganja International Airport, which they alleged was used to bombard.

Artsakh’s capital Stepanakert stated that the Azerbaijani population given warning to move away from military facilities to avoid collateral damage.

On 17 October, 21 civilians were killed and more than 50 injured when an Armenian SCUD B ballistic missile hit a residential area in Ganja.

We saw the destruction and horror from our own eyes, the remanance of the war and the bombing what remains there, nothing. The residential area turned into ruins with big hole in the center and flowers and soft toys can been seen placed in the memory of civilians resulted few children casualties.

After Ganja city, we came to see the city of Fuzuli and the capital of the Fuzuli District of Azerbaijan. The city had a population of 17,090 before it was captured by Armenian forces on 23 August 1993, during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, which resulted in the expulsion of the local Azerbaijani population and the city becoming a ghost town.

The city subsequently became a ghost town after its capture by Armenian forces and the expatriation of its Azerbaijani population. Subsequently, it was made part of the Hadrut Province of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh and the town was renamed Varanda (Armenian: Iարանդա) during its existence.

In 2010, the town had a population of 99. It was named after the medieval Armenian melikdom of Varanda, which ruled over the area of what later became Fuzuli

In the context of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war on October 17, 2020, the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev stated that the Azerbaijani army had retaken control of the city.

The next day, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence released a video from Fuzuli showing Azerbaijani soldiers raising the Azerbaijani flag in the centre of the city.

On 16 November of 2020, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited the city and hoisted the Azerbaijani flag on the territory of the former military base of the Armenian forces in Fuzuli.

As part of a massive reconstruction project, a new highway is to be built to Shusha via Fuzuli.

President Aliyev who announced the plan to build during his 16 November 2020 visit to the ruins of the latter town. The process was started with immediate effect, press reports suggesting the new 101 km multi-lane highway should be finished by mid-2022, we were told.

On 5 January 2021, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev, announced that an international airport was planned to be built near Fuzuli.

Four days later, the plan for a Fuzuli-Shusha railway was also made public. Fuzuli International Airport was inaugurated on 26 October 2021 by the presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey and its up and running now with limited flights.

We visited the state of the art – Fuzuli international airport in the city of Fuzuli in Azerbaijan. It is one of the country’s seven international airports. The airport was built on an airdrome that had been abandoned for almost 30 years and was surrounded by former minefields. It was constructed at a cost of 75 million manats ($44 million).

During the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, on 24 August 1993, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces were forced to withdraw from Fuzuli.

The city was reduced to a ghost town shortly before its fall to the armed forces of the Republic of Artsakh and of Armenia. Twenty-eighty years later, on 17 October 2020, it was re-captured by the armed forces of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani government initiated a process to clear the city and the surrounding areas from landmines.

On 26 November 2020, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies reported that the International Civil Aviation Organization had accepted the appeal of the State Civil Aviation Administration to include six airports, including the airfield in Fuzuli, in its catalog of international airport codes.

In January 2021, President Ilham Aliyev issued a decree on the construction of an international airport in Fuzuli.

On 14 January, the groundbreaking ceremony for the future airport took place.

Turkey-based companies were involved in the construction of the airport. The completed runway was first used on 5 September 2021, when an Airbus A340-500 aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines and a Boeing 747-400 cargo aircraft operated by Silk Way Airlines, landed at the airport.

We were told that the airport apron covers an area of 60,000 m allowing up to eight aircraft to park. The runway is 3,000 meters long and 60 meters wide. The airport terminal is able to serve 200 passengers per hour.

The airport was inaugurated on 26 October 2021 by the presidents of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Next stop on our program was to visit city of Shusha/Susa. We had a meeting with Aydin Kerimov, Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Shusha district.

After the capture of Shusha in 1992 by Armenian forces during First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the city’s Azerbaijani population fled, and most of the city was destroyed.

Between May 1992 and November 2020, Shusha was under the de facto control of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh and administered as the centre of its Shushi Province.

On 8 November 2020, Azerbaijani forces retook the city during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War following a three-day long battle. The Armenian population of the city fled, and multiple reports emerged that the Azerbaijan and Armenian cultural heritage of the city was being destroyed.

In November 2020, the organizers of the Turkvision Song Contest stated that they were exploring the possibility of holding the contest’s 2021 version in Shusha and in January 2021, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture started preparatory activities on the Khari Bulbul Festival and Days of the Poetry of Vagif.

We came to the city of Zanglian and had the opportunity to meet with Vahid Hajiyev, Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Zangilan district.

Zangilan is a city in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Zangilan District. It is situated along the Voghji river.

It is located in the south-west of the country and belongs to the East Zangezur Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Qubadli, Jabrayil, the Syunik Province of Armenia and the East Azerbaijan Province of Iran. Its capital and largest city is Zangilan. As of 2020, the district had a nominal population of 45,200, according to the officials.

Zangilan district was famed under the name of Grakhmu castle located there in the medieval centuries.

Only Achanan volost and the western part was included in the Kapan district of Armenia, but the eastern and more favourable territories were included in the Azerbaijan SSR while determining borders of the Soviet Republics.

In 1930, the administrative district of Zangilan was created there.

On October 29, 1993, the district came under the occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defence Army during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

There are historical monuments in the territory of the district: a circular tower in Khadijally village, an octagonal mausoleum of Yahya ibn Muhammad al-Haj (1304–1305) in Məmmədbəyli village.

On 20 October 2020, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, announced that Azerbaijani military forces recaptured some settlements in Zangilan district, namely, Havali, Zarnali, Mammadbayli, Hakari, Sharifan, Mughanli villages, as well as Zangilan city itself.

On October 21, 2020, it was announced that Minjivan settlement and 12 more villages of Zangilan district have been recaptured.

Azerbaijani authorities announced the capture of 13 more villages and Aghband settlement of Zangilan district on October 22, 2020.

The recapture of Aghband settlement was highlighted for the reason that full control over the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran was established after the recapture.

On 19 July 2022, the first residents returned to Ağalı village after 29 years. The village has a school, post office, health centre, bank, market and cafe. It is expected that 1300 people will live in the village

Next we visited the ‘Smart City Project’ in Aghali Village. It’s a modern and sprawling community complex which houses internally displaced people and refugees from Zangilan district.

The second phase of the resettlement of former IDPs in Aghali village, Azerbaijan’s Zangilan district has started.

The village of Aghali was rebuilt on the “smart village” concept.

We were told that on September 7, 2022, another group of residents was resettled from the Zangilan Refugee settlement, located in Masazir settlement of Absheron district.

12 families (63 people) will permanently live in the houses provided to them in the new village with modern infrastructure.

Families for resettlement were selected mainly from among those who lived in the most difficult conditions in temporary settlements, at the same time the size of the residential areas provided for resettlement was taken into account.

Among the resettled persons there are natives of Aghali-1, Aghali-2 and Aghali-3 villages. Azerbaijan to relocate more residents to Zangilan’s Aghali village.

We noticed and observed that the return of Azerbaijani citizens to the liberated Aghali village (Zangilan district of Azerbaijan), built on the basis of the Smart Village concept, continues.

On September 7, another group of the citizens – 12 families, consisting of 63 people – left “Zangilan” settlement in Masazir, Absheron district, for Aghali.

Azerbaijan is setting an example for countries who also suffer the war atrocities and conflict – how to rise up, and build its nation, cities and villages ruined by the conflict and war and lift up the nation as a whole and work for its citizens for their future and betterment. This certainly doesn’t mean to forget the history and the past but it is exemplary to move the country forward in the right direction and make progress in all areas and development and be a proud nation and for its neighbors and the global community.