BAKU, November 8. /TASS/. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, his wife Mehriban Aliyeva and their son Heydar attended a military parade on the occasion of the third anniversary of Azerbaijan's victory in the second Karabakh war, the Azertag news agency reported.
AzTV showed some footage from the parade, which took place in the Nagorno-Karabakh city of Khankendi (formerly Stepanakert). A group of flag bearers, servicemen of different branches of the armed forces, marched through the main square of Khankendi. Also on display was military equipment in service with the Azerbaijani army and some of the military equipment of the Armenian Armed Forces, which was captured as trophies. The President of Azerbaijan made a speech at the parade.
Festive processions of military personnel took place in Baku and other major cities of the country.
On September 27, 2020, the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh escalated into intense fighting. On November 9 of the same year, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia Vladimir Putin, Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement that put an end to the hostilities. According to the agreements, Azerbaijan and Armenia held on to their positions, with some districts going over to Baku's control at a later time. Russian peacekeepers were stationed along the line of contact and at the Lachin Corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.
Tensions reignited in Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19. Baku announced it was starting "local anti-terrorist measures" and demanded the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the region. Yerevan said there were no Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh and described the situation as "an act of large-scale aggression." Russia called on the sides of the conflict to halt the bloodshed and return to diplomacy. On September 20, an agreement was reached to halt hostilities.
The president of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree on September 28 to dissolve the unrecognized state from January 1, 2024. Its people have been urged to consider the terms of reintegration in Azerbaijan, which were offered by Baku, and stay put if they choose to do so.