Tazeen Akhtar | Islamabad
Azerbaijan is marking 27 Sep as the commemoration day of the fallen heroes of Second Karabakh War that ended with victory of Azerbaijan against the uncalled for aggression of Armenia, despite its having illegally occupied the Azerbaijani territories for 30 years. Azerbaijani forces fought heroically defending Azerbaijan’s sovereignty from a three-decade-long military occupation by Armenia and liberated the occupied territories that is why Azerbaijan calls it Patriotic War.
Official figures report around 2,783 to 2,908 Azerbaijani soldiers martyred during the conflict. More than a hundred of servicemen went missing, and more than a thousand of servicemen were injured and lost their health.
The 44-days war was started on September 27 and ended on November 10, 2020. It was imposed on Azerbaijan following military hostilities conducted by Armenia hitting civilian population in the cities that are located near the border.
To honor the military personnel who lost their lives, Commander-in-Chief President Ilham Aliyev instituted 27 Sep as the Day of Remembering or Commemoration by a presidential decree on December 2, 2020.
The day is marked by a nationwide moment of silence, official ceremonies, and tributes paid to fallen soldiers and veterans.
The date marks the day when large-scale fighting began in 2020 after Armenian forces launched military positions and civilian settlements along the contact line, prompting a counter-offensive by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.
Beyond remembering the sacrifices of the martyrs and veterans , the day represents national unity, the restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.
The capture of Shusha, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan, and Gubadli, alongside the handover of the Aghdam, Kalbajar, and Lachin districts was the culmination of the achievements of Azerbaijani forces.
September 20 – Symbol of Azerbaijan’s Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity
Shusha is the strategic second-largest city in Karabakh, a historically and culturally significant mountaintop city located in the Karabakh mountains of Azerbaijan, sitting at an altitude of 1,400 to 1,800 meters (4,600 to 5,900 feet). Known as the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, the city has a complex history tied to both Azerbaijani heritage, regional trade, and severe geopolitical conflict.
Founded around 1750–1752 by Panah Ali Khan, the first ruler of the Karabakh Khanate. It served as the natural fortress capital of the khanate, protected by steep canyons on three sides. It was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1813 following the Russo-Persian wars, later growing into a prominent regional intellectual and trade hub for carpets, silk, and craftsmanship. During the First Karabakh War, it came under Armenian control in May 1992, resulting in the displacement of its Azerbaijani residents.
Over 93,000 displaced people now live, work, and study across 47 resettled localities (including 10 cities and 34 villages) under the Great Return State Program. Operational international airports function in Fuzuli and Zangilan, with ongoing development in Lachin alongside extensive highway and smart-village implementations (such as Agali village).Between 2020 and 2026, over 25 billion manats ($14.7 billion) has been allocated from the state budget, with an additional 3.4 billion manats ($2 billion) earmarked for continued restoration in 2027.
The war is widely studied by military analysts as a major turning point in modern warfare due to the integration of advanced technology. Azerbaijan’s extensive deployment of modern UAVs and the latest loitering munitions systematically decimated Armenian armored columns, trenches, and Soviet-era air defense systems. Precision strikes and uncrewed aerial systems reduced the need for massed infantry engagements, neutralizing Armenia’s fortified, legacy defensive doctrines.
The outcome triggered profound political crises in Armenia, while setting the stage for Azerbaijan’s subsequent 20 September 2023 offensive that fully dissolved the breakaway Republic of Artsakh. Ongoing diplomatic normalization efforts, monitored via platforms like the Council on Foreign Relations Conflict Tracker, continue to navigate regional transit corridors and bilateral peace frameworks between Yerevan and Baku.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a historic, U.S.-brokered peace agreement and joint declaration at the White House in Washington, D.C., on August 8, 2025. President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed the accord, witnessed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Both nations agreed to respect each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, formally end decades of conflict, and renounce the use or threat of force. The agreement established the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), a 43-kilometer transport and transit corridor through Armenia’s Syunik province linking mainland Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave.
By late 2025 and 2026, practical steps emerged, including Azerbaijan supplying petroleum products to Armenia and Armenia making historic reciprocal commercial shipments. Officials from both countries continue dialogue to implement remaining details and maintain stability, with Azerbaijani representatives noting the framework has established “de facto peace” in the South Caucasus.
Pakistan provided strong diplomatic, political, and moral support to Azerbaijan during the war.
Pakistan was one of the few nations and the only UN member state that did not recognize Armenia as a sovereign country, largely due to Yerevan’s occupation of Azerbaijani territories and its diplomatic stance on the Kashmir dispute till 2025. In October 2020, the National Assembly of Pakistan unanimously passed a strong resolution condemning Armenian military actions and expressing full solidarity with Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.
Finally, the history written by the victorious Azerbaijani Army under the leadership of the Commander-in-Chief President Ilham Aliyev is a solid foundation for further development and prosperity of Azerbaijan and important factor in ensuring lasting peace and security in the region.
