Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Twenty-two years passed since the occupation of the Lachin region, Azerbaijan's important strategic point, by the Armenian armed forces.

Lachin, considered a fortress gate for Azerbaijan, was seized by the Armenian armed forces on May 18, 1992.

The highland region, located between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, was populated mostly by Azerbaijanis and Kurds, and the only road from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh passed through its center.

After the occupation of Shusha, the Armenian armed forces who had invaded the settlements around Lachin, fired shells into the center of the region. Launching their attack on the night of May 16 from a place called Turshsu in Shusha and also the Gor region in Armenia, the Armenian forces occupied Lachin. Most of the enemy forces managed enter the region through the Lachin corridor.

The Armenian invaders destroyed hundreds of cultural facilities and dozens settlements, villages and historical monuments. 63,341 Azerbaijani citizens were driven out of their homes as a result of the occupation.

The Lachin region included 121 villages with a total area of 1,835 square km. More than 300 military men and civilians were killed or went missing during Lachin's occupation, and 103 people were wounded or disabled. 18 Azerbaijani children were killed, 225 were injured, and 31 lost both parents.

8,950 buildings, 7 industrial and construction enterprises, 471 service facilities, 154 schools, and hundreds of cultural and historical monuments remain in the occupied territory.

The occupation of Lachin, a region of geo-strategic significance, dealt a serious blow to Azerbaijan's economy. The losses incurred are estimated at $7 billion.

With this occupation, Azerbaijani people Azerbaijan not only were ousted from their lands, but also suffered the loss of magnificent architectural and historical sites, since historic and cultural monuments in Lachin were looted or appropriated by the Armenians.

The enemy destroyed light industrial enterprises and agricultural fields there as well.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s. Long-standing efforts by US, Russian, and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.

Despite the four UN Security Council resolutions calling for Armenia's immediate withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, Armenia continues the occupation of these regions.