On November 8, Azerbaijan celebrates Victory Day, marking the end of the 44-day Patriotic War in 2020. For nearly 30 years, the country has been trying to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict through negotiations, seeking to free the 20 percent of its territory occupied by Armenia. Diplomatic efforts failed, however, as Armenia chose to fake negotiations without complying with UN Security Council resolutions, demonstrating a lack of commitment to genuine peace and attempting to entrench a status quo based on occupation and ethnic cleansing.
After losing its historical and legal lands in 1992-93, Azerbaijan has made remarkable strides in recent decades in achieving its overall development and securing its political and economic independence. Azerbaijan's reputation as a reliable partner and key regional player is built on a principled, multilateral foreign policy, active diplomatic engagement and ambitious regional projects. Combined with significant advances in military capability, these achievements paved the way for Azerbaijan's decisive victory on November 8, 2020.
In 2019-20 a series of provocative actions by Armenia significantly undermined the negotiation process. Armenia escalates tensions by introducing the concept of “new wars for new territories” and carried out other military-political provocations that eventually sparked the Azerbaijani counter-offensive, later known as the Patriotic War. For 44 days in September-November 2020. the Azerbaijani army managed to liberate more than 300 occupied settlements, asserting Azerbaijan's sovereignty over them. This action confirmed the norms and principles of international law and fulfilled the UN Security Council resolutions for the immediate and unconditional release of all occupied Azerbaijani territories from Armenian forces, which remained outstanding since 1993.
After the liberation of Shusha, the strategic center of Azerbaijan's Karabakh region on November 8, 2020, Armenia agreed to surrender. The end of the prolonged military occupation of Azerbaijani territories brought to an end the long-lasting bloody conflict in the immediate vicinity of Europe. It also introduced new possibilities, including the historic chance for long-awaited sustainable peace and security, the opening of all transport communications and the revival of the liberated territories. These goals therefore became the main priorities for the post-conflict period. The joint statement signed by Armenia and Azerbaijan on November 10, 2020 calls for the opening of all transport routes in the region, and a key part of this plan, known as the Zangezur Corridor, has strategic importance for regional economic prosperity as well as lasting peace and security in the region and beyond.
After the historic victory, Azerbaijan proposed a peace treaty to Armenia based on widely accepted international principles. Despite significant progress in the negotiations, no final agreement has yet been reached. The main problem is Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan, enshrined in its constitution, which must be revised in the name of achieving final peace.
Azerbaijan's Victory Day has far-reaching implications for regional peace and stability and is a triumph for international law and the triumph of justice.