ISTANBUL

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday said having a "strong economy" allowed his country to pursue its policy independently at the political level.

In an address to the nation from the city of Khankendi on the occasion of the upcoming Nevruz holiday, Aliyev said his country had been preparing for the liberation of its lands from Armenian occupation for 20 years and they worked consistently in many directions in this regard.

Relations between Baku and Yerevan have remained tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russia-brokered peace agreement that also opened the door to normalization.

Azerbaijan established full sovereignty in Karabakh after an "anti-terrorism operation" in September 2023, after which separatist forces in the region surrendered.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

“At the political level, Azerbaijan's position in the world was strengthened, the number of our friends increased to a great extent. On our initiative, international organizations adopted decisions and resolutions in favor of our position on the conflict and in line with international law,” Aliyev said.

Expressing that this created a legal and political basis for the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, Aliyev said they also achieved economic development and independence during this period.

“A strong economy has allowed us the opportunity to pursue our policy independently at the political level. Today, Azerbaijan is one of a handful of countries in the world with a completely independent policy, a policy that is based only and only on the interests and determination of the Azerbaijani people,” he said.

Aliyev further said life is returning to the region amid the return of former internally displaced persons to their ancestral lands through extensive construction efforts, and that this process will continue this year.

He also lit a bonfire in the center of Khankendi to mark the Nevruz holiday.

The traditional spring festival is celebrated by various ethno-linguistic groups, mainly in Iran, Afghanistan, India, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Albania, and Macedonia, and falls on or around March 21.