By Ruslan Rehimov
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AA) - Twenty families were settled Friday in Shusha, the symbol city of the Second Karabakh War, which Azerbaijan liberated after 30 years of occupation.
Eighty-eight people were relocated to Shusha as a part of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's "Great Return" initiative, aimed at settling areas liberated in the Second Karabakh War in 2020, in which Azerbaijan liberated most of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Aliyev attended the opening of the first housing complex built by the state in Shusha and met with the first residents.
Congratulating Shusha residents on returning to their ancestral homeland, Aliyev attributed the day to "glorious" Azerbaijani soldiers, martyrs and veterans.
- Armenia did not see Shusha as their hometown
Emphasizing the beginning of a new era for Shusha, Aliyev reiterated that Azerbaijan has never sought war but only the return of its territories.
He criticized the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group's 28-year activities, accusing it of being against Azerbaijani people
"Their false promises and inaction were not accidental. They did not want to solve the problem," Aliyev said, stating OSCE promised the lands to Armenians.
Regarding ongoing opposition from France and the US, Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan's policy is based on international law and justice.
"Everyone knows what we are capable of what our army is capable of and how strong our determination is," Aliyev said, urging France to stop giving deadly weapons to Armenia.
Aliyev highlighted Armenia's attempts to alter Shusha's Azerbaijani heritage during Armenian occupation but noted their "failure" to do so.
"If Armenians considered it their hometown, they would have built Shusha, not destroyed it. Not a single stone has been left untouched," he said.
Keys to the apartments were handed to residents following Aliyev's address.
Shusha, recognized as the symbolic city of Karabakh, was occupied by Armenian forces on May 8, 1992, and liberated by the Azerbaijani army on Nov. 8, 2020.
*Writing by Muhammed Yasin Gungor in Istanbul