Ilham Aliyev inspects progress of developments in Boyuk Galaderesi village of Shusha, meets with residents

On May 28, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev inspected the progress of restoration work on individual houses and infrastructure in Boyuk Galaderesi village of the Shusha district and met with residents who had returned to the village.

According to SİA, Aydin Karimov, Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Shusha district, briefed the head of state on the restoration of houses and the development of village infrastructure.

Boyuk Galaderesi is located within the Galaderesi village administrative territorial district of the Shusha district.

The village was occupied by the Armenian armed forces in 1992. Boyuk Galaderesi was liberated from occupation in 2023 during the anti-terror operations conducted by the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan.

It was reported that a number of projects have been implemented in the village to create the necessary living conditions and address social issues. A transformer has been installed, new power lines have been laid, and existing lines have been restored. Individual houses to be inhabited during the initial phase have been equipped with meters. In addition, a new gas pipeline has been laid in the village, and the installation of meters has commenced. Work has also been carried out to provide residents with drinking water, including the laying of distribution water lines and the installation of meters. The installation of communication lines in the village is currently underway. Internal village roads have also been upgraded. Furthermore, a park has been built for residents" recreation, and a Flag Square has been established in Boyuk Galaderesi.

There are a total of 50 individual houses in the village. Of these, 13 are unusable, while 37 are partially usable.

During the first phase, 17 houses have already been restored. The restoration of 20 more houses is planned for the next phase.

Initially, 64 people, comprising 14 families, have returned to the village.

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The head of state visited the home of village resident, Akif Gahramanov.

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The head of state then met with residents who had returned to Boyuk Galaderesi village.

President Ilham Aliyev: First of all, I congratulate you on the holidays-both Eid al-Adha and Independence Day. You are celebrating both Independence Day and Eid al-Adha on your native Garabagh soil. This is a great happiness. I sincerely congratulate you on this occasion.

Returning to the native homeland after a long separation is a great happiness.

Female resident: It is an honor for us, an honor.

President Ilham Aliyev: Yes. Beautiful conditions have been created for you here. Almost most of the houses here were destroyed. Seventeen of them are ready, twenty will be ready in the second phase, and more houses will be built after that. Work is also underway in the surrounding area-Kichik Galaderesi, Turshsu, Saribaba. Lachin is close, and Shusha is also nearby. A new road is being built, and travel will be much more convenient. You have probably seen that we are expanding the Shusha–Lachin road, and tunnels are also being constructed. Everything is being done so that people can live comfortably here, on their native homeland soil.

Independence is a great blessing, a great achievement. But true independence exists only when a country is able to pursue an independent policy. Look, Azerbaijan is one of those countries. Today, there are nearly 200 independent countries in the world, but it cannot be said that each of them is truly independent. We are an independent state in the true sense of the word, because we determine our own destiny, conduct our policy without external influence, and act in the interests of our people and state on the basis of protecting national interests. For this reason, we have gained great renown in the world. Although our lands were under Armenian occupation for many years, even then, by pursuing an independent policy, we earned great respect globally. Of course, the Second Garabagh War and, three years later, the anti-terror operation-our glorious Victory-have further elevated the prestige of our country and our people in the world.

When independence was achieved in October 1991, those who were in power at that time were unable to protect our territorial integrity. Those striving for power had, in fact, practically sold out Shusha, Lachin, and this beautiful village to Armenia. At that time, a struggle for power was underway. The government of the time wanted to remain in power, while the PFA–Musavat forces striving for power sought to come to power by any means. As a result of provocation, this beautiful region was handed over to Armenia, leading Azerbaijan to face this catastrophe once again. You also remember the subsequent period: civil war and the loss of our lands. After the occupation of Shusha and Lachin, this village was also occupied. A geographical link was established between Armenia and the former Nagorno-Karabakh, and unfortunately, the occupation lasted for 30 years thereafter.

We were building up our strength, gathering power-economically, militarily, and on the international stage. When the time was right, we acted, and we acted in such a way that our Glorious Victory resonated across the entire world. Both 2020 and 2023 represent our Glorious Victory, and we will forever take pride in this Victory. Today, every inch of Azerbaijan"s territory is under our control. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan have been fully restored. The peace achieved was on our terms.

This demonstrates once again that our nation is a great nation. Despite suffering, it did not bend; it maintained its will and lived with the hope that the day would come when we would return to these lands. Over recent years, in my numerous meetings with former internally displaced persons since 2003, both during the occupation and after the Victory, I have become even more convinced of how great, dignified, and unyielding our people are. You were deprived of your native land for 30 years, but you did not lose hope, you did not break your will, and you believed that this day would come-and it has come.

Male resident: Yes, we believed in the "Iron Fist."

President Ilham Aliyev: Thanks to the "Iron Fist," the unity of our people, the strength of our Army, and the blood and lives of our martyrs, we are here today, and from now on no one can displace us from here. On the contrary, our strength grows and our opportunities expand with each passing day. We are the voice of authority in the region.

We have been restoring these lands, towns, and villages devastated by the Armenians for five years now. And how are we doing it? It is unparalleled in the world. To accomplish this volume of work in just five years-only a strong state can do it. The foundation of this strong state is the unity between the people and the government.

As for you, I wish you nothing but good health from now on. Breathe this beautiful air, drink this beautiful water, and look at these beautiful landscapes so that your hearts find comfort and your souls find joy.

Male resident: Mr. President, they are looking at us from over there, and they regret it now, whereas at one time we were the ones looking. Now they say that the fault lies with themselves. They used to live, and everything was beautiful. May Allah protect you.

President Ilham Aliyev: When I met with the people of Lachin, when we returned the first former displaced persons to the city of Lachin, I was sitting in such a way that this scenery was right before my eyes. I said, you know, we can see you from here. Behave yourselves.

Male resident: May Allah protect you. Welcome. Thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: I congratulate you. Come, let us take a picture together, here, in this beautiful scenery.

Male resident: Thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: I congratulate you.

Residents: May Allah grant you a long life.

Female resident: I congratulate you on today"s Eid al-Adha and on our Independence Day. I say "thank you very much" to you for spending your precious time on this beautiful land today to meet with these citizens. On behalf of these residents of Galaderesi, I say "thank you very much" to you. I would like you to convey our greetings to dear Mehriban khanum. Thank you very much for meeting with us in this beautiful homeland, on this land. May Allah rest the souls of our martyrs in peace. I wish you good health and a long life. Thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much. Since our glorious Victory, I have been celebrating this beautiful holiday, May 28 – Independence Day, in the liberated lands, and this has already become a tradition. I believe it is the most correct choice. This Independence Day is very dear to each of us. But it is also a fact that the independence achieved in 1918 lasted only two years. We could not preserve it at that time; it was taken away from us. After that, for 70 years, we did not live as an independent state.

Independence was restored in 1991, but it was still under threat. As I said, the Armenian occupation, internal chaos, confrontation, civil war, and the struggle for power were effectively leading our country to ruin. If National Leader Heydar Aliyev had not come to power at that time, it is difficult to say what the fate of our people and our state would have been. Azerbaijan was facing a great catastrophe. At that time, the war was stopped, development began, and strength was gathered. During my time, we wished for the day of liberation every day, and we brought it closer every day. You, the people who lived in these territories, also know very well how difficult the terrain is, both here and in Lachin, Kalbajar, Fuzuli, Jabrayil; there were seven lines of defense and mines. Our heroic sons, putting their chests forward and sacrificing themselves, broke through those lines, and in just 44 days we forced Armenia to sign the act of capitulation.

There has never been such an absolute Victory, either before or after that. Now everything is in plain sight. Wars have surrounded our periphery: whether in the North, in the South, or elsewhere. That is to say, will there be an end to these wars? No one knows. What will they result in? No one knows. Who is the winner of these wars? It is also difficult to say; everyone says, "I am the winner."

Male resident: May Allah protect our state, and protect you.

President Ilham Aliyev: But our Victory was such an absolute Victory that no doubt remained. Our flag was raised in Shusha, and after that in Khankendi, and the enemy was expelled from our lands. The Armenian army was completely destroyed. Today we live comfortably, as a victorious people and a victorious state. This is a source of great pride.

Carrying out such restoration and construction work in a short period of time is also being done for the people-so that they can return quickly, live comfortably, and feel safe here; to build and create, raise children, care for the village elders, and enjoy life. You deserve this. You lived in suffering for 30 years; from now on, there should only be a happy life.

Residents: Thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: I congratulate you.

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The meeting concluded with the taking of commemorative photographs.