An interview to Trend Information Agency

Interview by First Vice-president of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva to Trend Information Agency

- Good afternoon, dear Mehriban khanum. First of all, I would like to congratulate You, on my own behalf and on behalf of our readers, on the liberation of a series of Azerbaijani cities and settlements.

- I want to congratulate our people on these significant events. Almost every day we receive good news from the front. Our soldiers and officers have been performing their combat missions with honour and dignity. Carrying out successful operations, they liberate cities and settlements one after the other, retaking strategic heights. After long 30 year-pause, we all have been proudly observing Azerbaijani soldiers’ hoisting our flag in our native lands. This is not only a military success, but also restoration of historical justice, as these lands have always been our historical lands.

It would be no overstatement to say that today, the people of Azerbaijan, led by President Ilham Aliyev, is writing a new history, the history of our joint victories!

I see how closely the nation has united around its President, our youth accepting - decisively and bravely - the call of the head of the state for the common purpose, for the liberation of Azerbaijani lands from the occupation.

- Every word uttered by You is in harmony with our people’s wish, causing matchless activity. Endeavours displayed by our fellow-citizens right after your appeal towards unmasking Armenian lies and smear campaign are an obvious proof of this.

- I want to thank everyone who has joined the call to show activity in the information space. We have to always remember that confrontation takes place not only in the battlefield, but also in the information space. I see how our youth, our fellow-citizens unmask fake news of the Armenian propaganda, conveying the truth about the Armenian aggression to the international society on all platforms possible. Their voice of truth allows to discover where the history was fabricated, preventing obviously false and provocative materials from spreading.

I want to thank representatives of mass media, as thanks to their impartiality and high professionalism, we can convey today the Azerbaijani realities to the world.

Our fellow-citizens living abroad who express their protests to the aggressor and show Armenia’s occupant nature to the international society should also be noted. I am grateful to all our friends across the world who show solidarity with the people of Azerbaijan and demonstrate their principal and impartial position, supporting our people.

Today, we all are living with the thoughts about what happens in the battle front. The people of Azerbaijan trust its President, and is confident that he knows what to do and when to do. Therefore, now we are more solidary in all our actions. No doubt, our soldiers feel this support, knowing that the entire people of Azerbaijan are protecting them.

- Mehriban khanum, as you have repeatedly mentioned in your statements, even despite the barbaric provocations of the enemy against the civilians, our people have been displaying unbelievably high spirit and courage.

- Unfortunately, the Armenian side has been purposefully violating not only requirements of international conventions, but also trampling on ethical norms.

Onslaughts against civilians in Ganja, Mingachevir, Tartar, Barda, Aghdam, Aghjabedi, Goranboy, Naftalan and other settlements unmask Armenia’s crafty policy against Azerbaijan. How could a cemetery be shelled during a funeral? How could the city of Ganja be subject to rocket strikes at night, while the civilians were sleeping? Innocent civilians, including children and women have died. This is a crime against humanity, and terror. All these unambiguously demonstrate that Erevan has no interest in peace, wishing only the escalation of the conflict so that it turns into a regional confrontation.

All these being said, no despicable act of Armenia – neither disgusting provocations relying on the political platform, nor their crazy attempts, nor savage assaults on civilians – noting can undermine Azerbaijani people’s will. Showing unity, solidarity, sharing each other’s sorrow, and mutual support are a message of the people of Azerbaijan, meaning, in a certain sense, that no one can ever shatter our will to liberate our Homeland.

I am calling on the world society not to turn a blind eye to these events and strongly condemn the barbaric acts against civilians of Azerbaijan. Erevan should stop ignoring international conventions, as well as the resolutions of the UN Security Council requiring the Armenian occupation forces to stop aggression against Azerbaijan.

The state of Azerbaijan has never had any particular desire for others’ lands. We have never attacked civilians. We have been fighting for justice. Our army is liberating the lands that have always belonged to Azerbaijan. Displaying heroism and courage, our soldiers are honourably fighting for the Homeland, writing their names in the history of Azerbaijan. I wish all the wounded quick recovery. My condolences to the families and relatives of all the fallen servicemen. May God rest the souls of our brave sons who became martyrs defending our Homeland in peace. Their death is and will be revenged on the enemy. The enemy is worthily responded.

The Heydar Aliyev Foundation has been providing necessary support to the families of those fallen in the front, based on my instruction. Everything is done for the recovery of the wounded soldiers, and returning them to a normal life. All our wounded soldiers are wishing to recover soon and return to the battle front to continue our just struggle for the Homeland. This is the high spirit and patriotism of the Azerbaijani people.

- Mehriban khanum, you mentioned the unusual unity displayed by the people recent days. We all remember the sentence “We are strong together!”, which turned to a slogan in a struggle against coronavirus. Can we say that this sentence bears special meaning today?

- Without a doubt, that is true. Only maintaining our unity and getting together around the President, we could overcome all challenges and hardships of this year.

You recalled the coronavirus pandemic and I want to touch upon this issue in a little more detail. To date, thanks to timely and well-thought measures, we could rescue ourselves from the sceneries that a number of world countries faced. According to experts, our country is among those finishing the first and extremely dangerous phase of the pandemic with the least losses. We succeeded in establishing a professional team coordinating all aspects of the struggle against coronavirus, and uniting technical and human resources. The quarantine measures applied helped reduce the coronavirus’s dissemination speed. Together, we could save our Homeland from this disease’s dangerously high-speed spread.

Unfortunately, the virus, which has caused so much trouble to many countries and nations, has not been defeated yet. It still remains to be a source of serious danger, the worsening statistics throughout the world testifies. The war against the pandemic is still going on. Numerous restrictions are imposed again in the majority of European countries.

Unfortunately, our country is no exception. As is well-known, the number of infected people has increased recent days, which led to re-imposing some restrictions at education establishments, as well as in the public transport.

I call on each of you not to forget that the coronavirus is dangerous, and to follow rudimentary rules that we had followed for months, keep necessary distance and not to go to places of mass gathering without a real necessity. All these rules we have been well informed of would decrease the risk of infection, and save us and our relatives from the disease. We have always treated the elderly with special care and respect. In the first phase of the pandemic, we protected them carefully. I am sure we will be more careful in today’s conditions.

Today, when our army is continuing its historical mission, we have to reduce the burden on our state, including the healthcare system, to the maximum. Now, it is of exclusive importance to focus all resources on our rescue operations. By taking care of ourselves in the home front, displaying vigilance and discipline, we would, at the same time, help our soldiers in the battle front, and save them.

I am confident we will cope with this task, proving once more that our strength is in our unity!