Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev caused a stir by making a historic visit to Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh. This region was retaken by Azerbaijan from Armenian separatists during a military offensive last September. President Aliyev’s strong gesture was to raise the Azerbaijani national flag in the city’s central square, thus marking his country’s sovereignty over this region.
This is an event of great importance for Azerbaijan, which thus realizes the dream of the Azerbaijani people for decades. President Aliyev said in a victory speech in Stepanakert that retaking their lands had been their number one goal since he became president two decades ago.
The visit marks a historic turning point, as it is the first time that President Aliyev has visited Stepanakert since the region was in the hands of Armenian separatists in the 1990s. It is an opportunity for him to showcase the success of his regime by reunifying the country and regaining control of Nagorno-Karabakh.
This military victory of Azerbaijan in a few hours against the Armenian separatists had a major impact on the region. Nagorno-Karabakh has emptied a large part of its population and many tensions remain between Baku and Yerevan. Armenia accuses Russia of having abandoned it and is now worried about the security of its own territory.
In this context, the visit of the Azerbaijani president to Stepanakert and his raising of the national flag can only accentuate Armenia’s concerns. However, the European Union is trying to ease tensions by organizing a meeting between Ilham Aliev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in Brussels by the end of the month.
Ultimately, this visit of the Azerbaijani president to Stepanakert marks the official end of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. However, the consequences of this war and the ongoing tensions between the two countries require continued attention from the international community.