Or one can do it the way the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev did. On May 28, on Azerbaijan’s Independence Day, the head of state traveled to Lachin District and the city of Lachin. This is a completely different technology of communication between the authorities and the people. On the day of the main national holiday the President was surrounded by ordinary citizens, having a meeting in the form of open dialogue, a candid conversation about the past and the future. About the occupation of Lachin District in 1992, at the peak of internal political upheavals, and its liberation after the 44-day war. About the work being done today to revive Lachin.
In the dry official language, “the head of state familiarized himself with the progress of the reconstruction work”. But in reality, it is much more complex than that.
Think about it: during his trip to Lachin District, the President of Azerbaijan took part in the inauguration of two power substations, broke the ground for a block of apartment buildings, reviewed the progress of work on the site of the future agricultural park and the facilities of Lachin’s future tourist infrastructure… The list is far from complete. Not many countries can afford a construction of this scale in the two and a half years since the de-occupation of Lachin, where the territory had to be cleared of mines first. This is not just a question of finances: the political will is much more imperative.
Most importantly, a ceremony was held in Lachin for the first 20 families of former internally displaced persons from Lachin getting new housing. A double holiday. And the best Independence Day present. Lachin is coming back to life, and it is a complex process. The ecological diversity of the region is also being restored: falcons and Caucasian turs have been released into the wild. The true masters of the land have returned, and it shows in everything.
Note that the reconstruction work in Lachin is proceeding according to a clear plan and strategy. Not only are residential areas being rebuilt, but jobs are being created as well. There is no “this will do for now, we can finish it later”. As the President said, “dear residents of Lachin, for many years you lived in pain, both physical and psychological, living in harsh conditions, in dormitories, in railcars, in tent camps. Even greater was your moral suffering. The anguish of not being able to return to your home lands is horrible.” Then he continued: “…The conditions for you and former IDPs like you must be the best, the finest, so that you can live comfortably here after long years of suffering.”
Meanwhile, what is happening in Lachin is not simply construction. History is being written there. It is in the future Memorial Park, the Occupation and Victory Museums, being built in the liberated lands. It is in the names of the streets when the head of state unveils the signs: Khosrov bey Sultanov Street and Zangezur Street, Heydar Aliyev Street and May 28 Street, Victory Street and December 1 Street—the date of Lachin’s liberation.
And most importantly, a new geopolitical setup is being created here. For obvious reasons, the warning of President Ilham Aliyev to the separatists is in the center of attention of the Azerbaijani audience: “Everyone knows very well that today we have every opportunity to carry out any operation in that region (in Karabakh—Ed.). Therefore, the ‘parliament’ must be dissolved, the element calling himself ‘president’ must surrender, all ‘ministers’, ‘MPs’ and others must give up their positions. Only then can there be leniency for them. Only then can we speak of any kind of amnesty.”
It is no coincidence that this ultimatum was voiced in Lachin. This district is of utmost strategic importance: the road linking Gorus and Khankendi, the dominant heights on the border… Armenia made Herculean efforts to capture Lachin and keep it under occupation. Even after the 44-day war, they kept coming up with ideas like “Lachin corridor under international control”.
But it was here that Azerbaijan “closed” its border on April 23 of this year, setting up a border checkpoint on the bridge over the Hakari River, leaving the Armenian strategists in a state of shock. They were making plans to restart the “miatsum” here, but now the situation has changed. The mousetrap has slammed shut. And given all the realities, political, economic and military ones, President Ilham Aliyev can afford to say: “From here, from the land of Lachin, which they exploited for many years and where they settled illegally, I say to them once again: your book is closed. The book of ‘Miatsum’ is closed, the book of separatism is closed. Your dreams of independence are now where the status is. And the status we sent where it belongs in the Second Karabakh War. That is why there is only one way left—to obey the laws of Azerbaijan.”
This is what successful nation-building and road to real independence look like.
