Azernews.Az

By Mazahir Afandiyev

In order to put an end to more than 30 years of occupation of its territories, Azerbaijan started armed operations on its sovereign territory on September 27, 2020, directed by four well-known resolutions of the UN Security Council and based on the rules and principles of international law. In forty-four days, the armed forces of neighboring Armenia, which occupied twenty percent of Azerbaijan's territory, and armed groups operating illegally on Karabakh territory, supported by various sources, were destroyed, and our nation's constitutional sovereignty was reestablished.

Following Armenia's formal appeal to the Russian Federation on November 10 of that year, the war was halted with the approval of the leaders of all three states and direct participation from Russia. Azerbaijan and Armenia then agreed on a nine-point statement, which Armenia signed as an act of surrender.

Following diplomatic negotiations aimed at bringing about a sustainable peace until September 2023, the President of Azerbaijan made the decision to launch a local, one-day anti-terrorist operation. He did this while following the Constitution, which our wise people cite as a source of guidance for the triumph of law and justice. Subsequently, on October 15, he raised the Azerbaijani flag, which is highly valued by all Azerbaijanis, in Khankendi. On November 8, he commanded a military parade in the Khankendi city square, showcasing the national pride of our people.

In light of the current challenges posed by the fourth industrial revolution in a globalizing world and the renewal of the political architecture of the world at large, Azerbaijan is about to enter a new era as a state under the rule of law with completely autonomous, sovereign, democratic growth and expresses unequivocally that the sustainable development agenda must be put into practice.

In order to achieve this, President Ilham Aliyev signed a Decree on December 7, 2023, allowing for the first time to organize early presidential elections in Azerbaijan. The decree also allowed for the involvement of all representatives of the Azerbaijani people and encompassed all of the country's sovereign areas. The independent Republic of Azerbaijan conducted presidential elections on February 7, 2024. The elections were hailed as the "election of Victory" by the populace, which took part in them enthusiastically.

The fact that these elections were held in every city, district, and village across Azerbaijan with a 200-year-old history of statehood is what gives them the most historical and critical significance. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief, who led the triumphant Azerbaijani Army and freed our areas from occupation, Ilham Aliyev, voted in these elections in Khankendi. This signaled the start of a new chapter in Azerbaijan's history.

High-level arrangements were made for the participation of delegations from all around the world's parliaments, in addition to experts, journalists, mass media, and international organizations invited to Azerbaijan to oversee the conduct of early presidential elections in our nation in compliance with local and international law. Members of both houses of parliament from Bosnia and Herzegovina, a strategically important country in Europe's Balkans where the Muslim population is densely populated, were part of one of the delegations that paid us a visit. The statements made by the delegations of the observation missions reflect the recent infrastructure reforms, the hospitality of our people, our state's dedication to multicultural values, and Azerbaijan's invaluable contribution to the sustainable development agenda.

In their greetings, the friendly states of Azerbaijan and the official delegations accredited in Azerbaijan stress how much the people of Azerbaijan value their deserving son, Ilham Aliyev, who is now their property.

Thus, I would like to sincerely congratulate all voters on the outstanding victory of Ilham Aliyev, the Chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party and the heroic son and commander of the Azerbaijani people, in the early presidential elections that were held in the Republic of Azerbaijan on February 7, 2024. I also want to encourage every Azerbaijani to put forth all of their effort and skill in the name of our state's advancement and the country's continued sustainable development.

Mazahir Afandiyev is the Member of the Milli Majlis (the Azerbaijani Parliament).

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