September 27, 2020, has gone down in history as the day of the beginning of our glorious Victory over the enemy. A counter-offensive was launched in response to Armenia’s yet another large-scale military attack on Azerbaijani Army positions and civilian settlements. The counter-offensive later became known as Operation Iron Fist which led to the Patriotic War. In his first address to the people during the Patriotic War on 27 September 2020, the President of Azerbaijan called on the nation to achieve a resounding victory. “We are on the right path. Ours is the cause of justice. We will win! Karabakh is ours! Karabakh is Azerbaijan!” During the 44-day Patriotic War, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev regularly addressed the people. Those addresses brought the people of Azerbaijan even closer together, united them like a fist and had a tremendous impact on the course and outcomes of the war. 

Armenian aggressors, who kept Azerbaijani lands under occupation for almost 30 years, turned our cities and villages into ruins, killed and maimed thousands of our compatriots, evicted more than one million Azerbaijanis from their ancestral lands, wanted to seize new territories, thought that these battles, like in April 2018, would last a few days. The Armenians were sure that the war was over and that they would be permanent residents of Karabakh and the lands they seized. That is why Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan unashamedly proclaimed from the prestigious tribune "Karabakh is Armenia" and danced "Yalli" (ancient Azerbaijani ceremonial dance) in Shusha.
    
Armenia grossly violated the norms of international law and kept Azerbaijani territories under occupation. Unfortunately, none of the authorized representatives of the world community and states that recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan asked such a fair question: "What is the Armenian soldier doing on the territory of Azerbaijan?" Focusing on this issue, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, said: "Our soldiers and officers are dying on their own lands, are getting wounded on their own lands, and we are liberating our own lands. During the fighting that has been ongoing for four days now, the Azerbaijani Army successfully conducted an operation and liberated strategic heights and several settlements. We are returning to these lands after a long break. We have hoisted our flag on these lands and no one can take us out of these lands. We must restore our territorial integrity. Therefore, the Armenian people must understand this, the head of state said: “The Armenian people must understand that it is a crime to occupy the land of another state for 30 years, destroy all buildings and historical sites, expel more than 1 million people from their homeland and commit genocide against the Azerbaijani people. We are restoring historical justice, historical justice! Karabakh is our native, ancient and historical land. 

Turkey and Pakistan, being allies and closest friends of Azerbaijan, advocated the restoration of just peace in the South Caucasus by eliminating the consequences of Armenia's aggression, first and foremost ending the illegal occupation of Azerbaijani lands. They showed solidarity with Azerbaijan and provided moral support throughout the operation.

From the first hours, when the world community received information about Armenia's attack on Azerbaijan, Turkey unequivocally expressed its support to Azerbaijan at the level of the head of state and other leaders, stating that it defends the just struggle of the people for the restoration of international law.
  
Our brave soldiers and officers, civilians working in the rear, and the Azerbaijani people as a whole who demonstrated valor in the struggle for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan, showed determination and will, unity and solidarity as a fist and dealt crushing blows to the enemy. The Armed Forces of Azerbaijan have been preparing for this war for many years, strengthening their battle capability day by day.

Unable to withstand the triumphant march of the Azerbaijani Army, the enemy resorted to provocations and committed war crimes by targeting innocent civilians. In addition to causing civilian casualties, the Armenian attacks damaged homes, businesses, schools, and a health clinic, and contributed to mass displacement. The cities, towns, and villages in Aghdam, Barda, Fuzuli, Ganja, Goranboy, Naftalan, and Tartar in Azerbaijan were repeatedly subjected to missile, rocket, and artillery attacks by Armenian forces. 98 civilians were killed and 414 seriously wounded during the armed conflict, and over 3,000 homes and 100 apartment buildings were destroyed or damaged.

From the first stage of the war, Armenia was defeated by Azerbaijan both on the battlefield and in economic warfare. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan could not explain to the public of his country that they were defeated by the Azerbaijani army on the battlefield. As a result of the successful military operations of the Azerbaijani army, the cities of Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Zangilan Gubadli, the settlement of Hadrut, and the village of Sugovushan were liberated from occupation in a short period of time.

The most glorious stage of the 44-day Patriotic War was the conquest of the city of Shusha. 8 November 2020 is inscribed in the history of Azerbaijan as Victory Day in golden letters. President Ilham Aliyev addressed the nation from the Alley of Martyrs and announced the liberation of Shusha to the people of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis all over the world. “I have also visited the grave of Great Leader Heydar Aliyev today and paid a tribute of respect to him. I said in my heart that I was a fortunate person to have fulfilled a father’s will. We have liberated Shusha! This is a great victory! The souls of our martyrs and the Great Leader are rejoicing today! May you rejoice Azerbaijan! May you rejoice Azerbaijanis of the world! … Dear Shusha, you are free! Dear Shusha, we have returned! Dear Shusha, we will revive you!”

On November 10, 2020, the act of Armenia’s capitulation, the “Statement of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and President of the Russian Federation”, was signed. On that day, President Ilham Aliyev said in his address to the nation: "I am delighted to have signed this historic document. I am happy that we are returning to our homeland, to our native Karabakh, Shusha – Karabakh’s crown jewel, and we will always live in these lands!"

As a result of a continuation of the military victory in the political arena, three districts were returned to Azerbaijan within 20 days after the 44-day Patriotic War - Aghdam on November 20, Kalbajar on November 25, and Lachin on December 1, 2020. On August 26, 2022, the city of Lachin, the villages of Zabukh and Sus, which were under the control of the Russian peacekeeping contingent and illegally inhabited by Armenians, were returned to Azerbaijan.  
 
2,908 servicemen of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces were killed, 6 servicemen went missing, and more than a thousand were wounded and lost their health during the Patriotic War. Our lands were liberated from occupation at the cost of the blood and lives of our martyrs, soldiers, officers and veterans.

The 44-day Patriotic War put an end to the aggressor policy of Armenia and taught the enemy a historical lesson that it will never forget. Due to the unprecedented courage of our heroic servicemen, at the cost of the blood of our martyrs, the whole world witnessed the glorious Victory of Azerbaijan.

September 27 is observed as Remembrance Day in our country by the Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev dated December 2, 2020, and today we remember with deep respect and cherish the memory of all our Martyrs who gave their lives for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Recommended literature:

1. Əmrahov, Mais İsrail oğlu. Məğlubiyyətdən Zəfərə : II Qarabağ - Vətən müharibəsinə aparan yol hərbi, siyasi, diplomatik və iqtisadi münasibətlərdə: 1988-2020-ci illər: monoqrafiya / M. İ. Əmrahov ; elmi red. C. Ə. Bəhramov ; AMEA A.A. Bakıxanov adına Tarix İnstitutu. - Bakı : Birol Group MMC, 2022. - 562 s.
2. 44 gün Vətən Müharibəsi : Hulusi Kılıç informasiya cəbhəsində / ideya müəl. G. Yaz ; red. C. Qədir. - Bakı : XAN nəşriyyatı, 2021. - 152 s.
3. Cəfərli, Tural Vaqif oğlu. "44 gün" zəfərə doğru : döyüşlərin xronologiyası, hərbi əməliyyatlar, Xüsusi Təyinatlı Qüvvələr, 10 noyabr Bəyanatı / T. Cəfərli ; red. V. Əlioğlu. - Bakı : Mücrü, 2022. - 96 s.
4. 44 günlük diplomatiya dərsləri / AMEA Hüquq və İnsan Haqları İnstitutu ; ideya müəl. A. İ. Mustafayeva. - Bakı : Elm və təhsil, 2021. - 251 s.
5. Bahar Sonam, R. Zəfər - 44 günlük Qarabağ müharibəsi - Azərbaycanın hərbi və diplomatik uğurları / R. Bahar Sonam ; Azərbaycan Respublikasının Qeyri-Hökumət Təşkilatlarına Dövlət Dəstəyi Agentliyi. - Bakı : Adiloğlu, 2022. - 304 s.
6. Zəfər yolu : Qarabağ savaşından Şuşa Bəyannaməsinədək / AMEA Rəyasət Heyəti, AMEA A.A. Bakıxanov adına Tarix İnstitutu ; layihənin rəh. R. Ə. Mehdiyev ; tərt.: İ. Ə. Həbibbəyli, K. K. Şükürov. - Bakı : Elm, 2021. - 904 s.
7. Zəfər yolu = The Way to Victory / A. Oqtay, X. Əliyev, N. Qasımova [et al.] ; tərt.-müəl.: İ. Əlili, V. Şahinoğlu ; tərc. X. Qurbanova ; red. E. Dərziyeva ; ön sözün müəl. C. Məmmədov. - Bakı : Ləman Nəşriyyat Poliqrafiya MMC, 2021. - 148 s.
8. Vətən müharibəsi tarixi : şəxsiyyət faktoru: 27 sentyabr - 10 noyabr 2020-ci il / Bakı Şəhər İcra Hakimiyyəti, AMEA A.A. Bakıxanov adına Tarix İnstitutu ; layihənin rəh., ön sözün müəl. E. Əzizov ; elmi red. K. Şükürov. - Bakı : Şərq-Qərb, 2021. - 444 s.
9. Kərimov, Yaşar Şükür oğlu. Zəfərə gedən yol / Y. Ş. Kərimov. - Bakı : Şərq-Qərb, 2022. - 184 s.
10. Əliyev, Nurulla. Vətən müharibəsində Azərbaycanın qələbəsi: informasiya-analitik material / N. Əliyev; Azərbaycan Respublikası Silahlı Qüvvələrinin Hərbi Akademiyası. - Bakı: Afpoliqraf, 2021. - 1096 s.