Azerbaijan envoy hosts victory day reception

ISLAMABAD: Azerbaijan ambassador Khazar Farhadov has reminded that during the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenia and 44 days of the war, brotherly Pakistan supported Azerbaijan morally and diplomatically.

Addressing a victory day reception here Tuesday evening, the ambassador paid rich tributes to the people of Pakistan and government for their continuous support. “It is no coincidence that the Pakistani flags are waved along with the Azerbaijani and Turkish flags in Azerbaijan by the common people in the country as a sign of respect and gratitude to the Pakistani brothers and sisters,” Khazar Farhadov said with pride.

The reception was attended by large number of the people belonging to different walks of life, diplomats and elite of twin-cities. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi was the chief guest who performed the cake cutting ceremony and highlighted bilateral ties in his address. Ambassador Khazar Farhadov said that Azerbaijan had liberated its territories from Armenian occupation and restored its territorial integrity. “We honor with deep respect and gratitude our martyrs who laid down their precious lives for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of our country.” He recalled that Armenia had kept 20% of Azerbaijani territory under occupation for almost 30 years. “The occupying forces committed war crimes in occupied territory. Armenia committed the Khojaly genocide in 1992, killing 613 innocent civilians, including 106 women and 63 children. They carried out ethnic cleansing against the Azerbaijani population in occupied territories. All Azerbaijanis were forcibly expelled from there,” he said.

The ambassador said that in 1993, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted four resolutions demanding immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from the territory of Azerbaijan. “Other international organizations, such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Non-Alignment Movement (NAM), OSCE, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the European Parliament adopted similar decisions and resolutions. Armenia did not implement the resolutions of the UNSC and other international organizations. Azerbaijan tried to resolve the Karabakh conflict through negotiations but Armenia always ignored it and tried to keep the status quo. Armenia even regularly committed military provocations during the occupation times. In 2020, Azerbaijan launched a counter-offensive in response to Armenia’s yet another large-scale military attack on Azerbaijani Army positions and civilian settlements. At the end of the 44-day, under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, the armed forces of Azerbaijan liberated its territories from Armenian occupation,” the ambassador added.