Azerbaijan: A Symbol of Resilience and Tenacity.

Byline: Zubeda Anjum Niazi

Freedom cannot be bestowed - it must be achieved.

Independence and freedom of a country are irreplaceable and nothing in the world can force a country to forfeit its right to independence nor its lawful territories. Today, on November 8, Azerbaijan is celebrating Victory Day to commemorate its triumph over Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh. Nagorno-Karabakh region, also known as Upper Karabakh, along with its seven adjacent districts, is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. Till last year, it was under the illegal and tyrannical occupation of the Armenian forces; since the early 1990s. On 27 September 2020, clashes erupted in the region because of Armenia's belligerence. For years the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its natives had been subjected to brutality at the hands of Armenia.

The blatant violation by Armenia continued despite many resolutions by the United Nations to end its illegal occupation of the region. Eventually, Azerbaijan managed to rightfully liberate Nagorno-Karabakh in an impressive tactical and strategic feat. Five city-centers, four towns, and 286 villages were liberated after Forty-four days of clashes. The war ended with a Russia-brokered truce. Yerevan was forced to evacuate the cities of Lachin, Aghdam, and Kalbajar as part of the cease-fire. According to a statement by the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan, a total of 2,783 Azerbaijani soldiers valiantly embraced martyrdom in the Upper Karabakh battle waged by the Azerbaijani troops; to liberate lands from the Armenian occupation.

Nagorno-Karabakh: A Historical Background

Historically, the Karabakh region is an inherent part of Azerbaijan. From ancient times to its acquisition in the early 19th century by the Russian Empire, it has been a part of different Azerbaijani states. From 1828 to 1911 approximately 1,000,000 Armenians from Persia and Ottoman Turkey settled in the region of the South Caucasus, including the Azerbaijani territories. However, under the shadow of Bolshevism, Armenians committed many atrocities to accomplish their nefarious designs. Ever since the Armenians have been carrying out a series of large-scale massacres against the Azerbaijanis Following the First World War and the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, the Armenian nationalists began implementing their plans to usurp Baku. As a result, the perpetrators launched a systematic elimination of the Azerbaijanis. Aside from Baku, thousands of Azerbaijanis were...