Ilham Aliyev: Greatest dream of National Leader Heydar Aliyev was liberation of our native lands from occupation

"The greatest dream of National Leader Heydar Aliyev was the liberation of our native lands from occupation," President Ilham Aliyev said at a meeting with residents in the city of Zangilan.

"We-his successors-have fulfilled his testament. Today, every inch of land within the territory of Azerbaijan belongs to the Azerbaijani people. By expelling the occupiers from our lands, we have restored our territorial integrity and sovereignty," President Ilham Aliyev said, stressing that the role of National Leader Heydar Aliyev in the history of Azerbaijan is undeniable.

As a result of his activities, Azerbaijan was able to preserve its independence during those difficult years:

"As you know-and as the older generation remembers well-in 1993, not only our territorial integrity but our very independence was under threat. The individuals leading our country at that time were steering it toward catastrophe. The occupation of our lands, the fall of Shusha, Lachin, and Kalbajar under Armenian occupation, internal strife, lawlessness, anarchy, and the outbreak of civil war as a result of the provocative and treacherous activities of the then-authorities meant that the young independent state of Azerbaijan was effectively on the verge of fragmentation. Had Heydar Aliyev not returned to power at the demand of the people, the fate of our nation and state could have been very dire. It was precisely due to his efforts that all negative trends, civil war, powerlessness, and lawlessness were brought to an end; stability was established in our country, development began, and the process of army building gradually commenced. Before his return to Azerbaijan, we effectively had no regular army, and our defeat in the First Garabagh War was precisely because of this. The individuals leading our army at that time not only lacked professional military knowledge but, through their treacherous activities, allowed our lands to fall under occupation. That coward and traitor who said, 'If Shusha is lost, I will put a bullet in my head,' is still wandering around today. But our tragedy at the time was that people like him had seized key positions in Azerbaijan. Individuals with no knowledge, ability, or experience were appointed to the highest state posts. Our army was effectively in the hands of bandits."