Hikmat Hajiyev: Kalbajar is being rebuilt and revived

Kalbajar is being rebuilt, revived and transformed into one of the most beautiful cities in Azerbaijan and even in the world, Hikmat Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, said.

According to Report's correspondent in Karabakh, he made the remarks while speaking at the Second Honey Festival in Kalbajar district.

"Being in our native Kalbajar today is a source of great pride for each of us. Although I was young in those bloody and difficult days of 1993 - I was about 13 or 14 years old - I remember them very well. One of the first places where residents from Kalbajar arrived barefoot, without shelter, bread or food was the city of Ganja. One of the first places where they were accommodated was the dormitory of Ganja City University of Technology, which was located near our home," Hajiyev said.

He said he still remembers with deep regret what Kalbajar residents experienced during that period.

"I still remember those days with a great sense of tragedy, despite my young age. The residents of Kalbajar went through tremendous suffering, crossing the Omar Pass barefoot and without proper clothing in those snowy and difficult days, and sought refuge in Ganja," he said.

Hajiyev stressed that Kalbajar remained under blockade for a long period.

"Unfortunately, the fact that the city of Kalbajar and its residents were under blockade at that time was not properly understood by the international community, and even within Azerbaijan people could not fully grasp the situation because of the incompetence of certain forces then in power. Kalbajar was under blockade for nearly a year. On one side, Armenian forces had encircled the area from the Aghdara direction. After the occupation of Lachin, the road from that direction was closed. Armenia was on another side, while the Murov mountains surrounded Kalbajar residents from yet another direction. But the people of Kalbajar did not lose their determination, faith or dignity," he said.

The presidential aide also recalled the Tunnel tragedy during the occupation of Kalbajar.

"We still remember the Tunnel tragedy. At the exit of the tunnel, Armenian terrorist Monte Melkonian, who had come from the Middle East, had set up an ambush. A brutal tragedy took place there, comparable in its cruelty to the Khojaly tragedy. We must not forget these events; they are part of our history. The people of Kalbajar were subjected to severe violence there," Hajiyev said.

He also spoke about the tragedy faced by women from Kalbajar during that period.

"At that time, some of our sisters from Kalbajar, seeking to preserve their honor and dignity, threw themselves into the Tartar River in an attempt to escape," he said.

Hajiyev said it was difficult to speak about those events, but stressed that those days were now in the past.

"It is still difficult for me, and for all of us, to speak about these events. But it is a great feeling to know that those moments are now in the past. We are in beautiful Kalbajar, in Kalbajar," he said.

Hajiyev noted that he had not visited Kalbajar during his childhood but had often heard friends from the district speak about its beauty.

"I never had the chance to visit Kalbajar as a child. Our friends and acquaintances from Kalbajar always talked about its beauty, and I tried to imagine it, but I truly could not have imagined that it was this beautiful. Kalbajar is very beautiful," he said.

Hajiyev emphasized that Kalbajar is now being rebuilt and developed.

"Today, as a result of President Ilham Aliyev's policy, we are in our native Kalbajar. Kalbajar is being rebuilt, revived and transformed into one of the most beautiful cities in our country and even in the world. Even more extensive work will be carried out here in the future as a result of President Ilham Aliyev's policy," he said.