"The return of the Azerbaijani people to the liberated lands was stated in a statement signed on November 10. I agree that this process will take some time and will require joint efforts. However, this is inevitable. In particular, we will return to Khojaly district. There is no other way. And the Armenian side must understand this ”, the President Ilham Aliyev added.

Note, on 25-26 February 1992, Armenian Armed Forces, accompanied by armored vehicles of the former Soviet 366th motorized rifle regiment, attacked and occupied the besieged town of Khojaly as part of the armed aggression and ethnic cleansing that had been taking place in Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan since 1988.

When the residents of Khojaly attempted to flee the area, they were ambushed and fired on by the Armenian troops. As a result of the genocidal act, of the approximately 6,000 inhabitants of the town, 613 civilians, including 106 women, 63 children and 70 elderly, were killed.

On November 10, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement to end six weeks of fierce fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Under the agreement, Russian peacekeepers are being deployed along the front line in Nagorno-Karabakh and the corridor between the region and Armenia.

A total of 1,960 Russian peacekeepers are to be deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh under a five-year mandate.

Also, according to the agreement, on 20 November, Armenia handed over the Aghdam region which lies to the east of Nagorno-Karabakh, to Azerbaijan. This followed on 25 November by the Kalbajar region to the northwest of Nagorno-Karabakh. 

Finally, on 1 December, Armenia handed over the Lachin District, over which the Lachin pass connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia passes.

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