President Aliyev: War was not our choice, Armenia forced us into it

President Ilham Aliyev said the Patriotic War lasted 44 days and that during this period Azerbaijan liberated more than 300 cities and villages on the battlefield. According to APA, he made the remarks in a speech at the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), held in Baku.

Aliyev said that in September 2023 the iron fist of the Azerbaijani soldier spoke again. Within less than a day, he said, Armenia's occupying army in Karabakh was crushed, and separatist leaders and “child killers” were brought before an Azerbaijani court. He said those who had threatened to take Baku with tanks are now drinking Azerbaijani tea in Azerbaijani prisons, while their tanks are displayed at the Military Trophies Park.

Aliyev said the issue has global significance. He stated that if sanctions had been imposed on Armenia in time for occupation, genocide and ethnic cleansing, Azerbaijan would not have had to break the back of “Armenian fascism” on the battlefield. “War was not our choice. Armenia forced us into war,” he said.