Remarking that those who could not suffer the strength and success of the Turkic world try to undermine the victory of Karabakh with new kinds of disinformation, Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun said, "As the Turkic world, we will continue to be the voice of Azerbaijan's cause in the spirit of unity. We will not tolerate disinformation or defamation campaigns. We will not allow Azerbaijan's rightful victory to be overshadowed."
Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun participated in the programme "Conference on Karabakh Victory: The Ancient Homeland Liberated" held in the Presidency's Directorate of Communications Conference Hall with the participation of Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan Hikmet Hajiyev.
Emphasising that they were very proud and happy to come together on the anniversary of the Karabakh Victory and to host the conference, Director of Communications Altun said, "We are happy to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the Karabakh Victory today with glory and honour. The liberation struggle of brotherly Azerbaijan to liberate its Armenian-occupied territory was crowned with a victory inscribed in golden letters in the annals of history."
Director of Communications Altun expressed his gratitude to the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, and everyone who contributed to the victory in Karabakh, wishing mercy on those who were martyred in this glorious struggle and health to the veterans.
"There was great suffering in the lands of Karabakh"
In his speech, Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun recalled the 30-year occupation of the Karabakh region, which is an integral part of Azerbaijan, that the Armenians initiated by making baseless claims.
Pointing out that the regions of Khankendi, Khojaly, Shusha, Lachin, Khojavend, Kalbajar, Aghdara, Aghdam, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Qubadli and Zangilan were occupied during the attacks of the Armenians, which turned into a full-blown war in the 1990s, Director of Communications Altun said, "The size of the area occupied by the Armenians had reached almost 20 per cent of the territory of Azerbaijan. We all remember that during these invasions, great suffering, tragedies and crimes against humanity took place in the lands of Karabakh. Approximately one million people were forced to abandon their homes. Historical, religious and cultural structures were destroyed."
Reminding about the "Khojaly Massacre" in 1992, Director of Communications Altun said, "A great genocide took place in Khojaly, which was completely surrounded by the Armenians. Armenians not only martyred 613 Azerbaijani brothers and sisters, 106 of whom were women, and 83 were children but also acted inhuman and committed genocide. I once again commemorate our brothers and sisters who were martyred as a result of the persecution committed by the Armenians, especially in the Khojaly Massacre."
Director of Communications Altun emphasised that many people were forced to abandon their homes and homeland in Karabakh during this process, and said that the human tragedy that Armenians committed in Karabakh, which they occupied in flagrant violation of international law, in front of the entire world, has been recorded in history as a dark stain.
"The lands under occupation for 28 years were liberated"
Presidency's Director of Communications Altun stated that although Azerbaijan took the necessary steps on all international platforms to oppose the Armenian occupation, which violated international law, Armenia and the respondent countries did not do the same and that international organisations set up to resolve the issue, like the OSCE Minsk Group, did not produce any results.
Director of Communications Altun noted that Armenia's aggression in September 2020 was the last straw and continued as follows:
"Using its rights under international law, Azerbaijan then began a tremendous, glorious and blessed struggle to reclaim its occupied lands. Thank God, the lands that had been under occupation for 28 years were liberated and emancipated as a consequence of the 44-day epic, the Second Karabakh War, which began on September 27, 2020, and in which the Azerbaijani army demonstrated extraordinary bravery. With this triumph, the Azerbaijani flag was once more flying in Karabakh, and the call to prayer was once more audible there."
"Türkiye has also engaged in considerable informational collaboration with Azerbaijan"
Director of Communications Altun stated that Türkiye did not leave Azerbaijan alone during the Second Karabakh War and rushed to help Azerbaijan by saying, "We stand by you in times of trouble," and emphasised that under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the two countries stood shoulder to shoulder with the motto "one nation, two states."
Director of Communications Altun stated that the victory in Karabakh cemented its place among the manifestations of the Turkic world's overall fraternity, particularly between Azerbaijan and Türkiye, and drew attention to the considerable informational collaboration as well as the political, military and social support during the struggle that resulted in the victory in Karabakh.
Director of Communications Altun explained that President Erdoğan used all the possibilities of leadership diplomacy, that all institutions and organisations took on the role of the diplomatic embassy of Azerbaijan in the international arena, and that intensive diplomatic activities were carried out to ensure the support of the international community for Azerbaijan's just struggle, and said that the Turkish people and civil society also contributed to this support.
Stating that a mechanism was established to enable instant communication with the Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Hikmat Hajiyev and that the medium for the Turkish and international media to see the developments on the spot was ensured, Director of Communications Altun noted that these steps had a significant function in dispelling the lies and distortions Armenians produced regarding the war.
"We shouted the truth to the whole world against the black propaganda"
Director of Communications Altun said, "As a result of our efforts, we have shouted the truth to the whole world against the black propaganda and disinformation of the Armenian lobby. We have exposed Armenia's occupation, which disregarded international law, and the destruction it inflicted during this war. We have ensured that it took place in the international community's agenda.
Recalling that the Türkiye-Azerbaijan Joint Media Platform was established and extended to the Organization of Turkic States, Director of Communications Altun explained that joint efforts were currently ongoing in a wide range of areas from public diplomacy to the fight against disinformation.
Presidency's Director of Communications Altun said:
"Even today, as we celebrate Azerbaijan's reunification with its own land, we observe that some groups are still attempting to cast a shadow on our victory. Those who cannot stand the Turkic world's strength and success seek new disinformation to undermine, hinder, shadow and nullify the Karabakh victory. The Armenian lobby continues to spread black propaganda against Azerbaijan by trying to portray the Azerbaijani army as war criminals through Western media speculators with whom it has direct contact.
Azerbaijan's just struggle for 28 years and its victory are tried to be suppressed, and the oppression the Karabakh people suffered is ignored. This situation reveals that although we have achieved victory in Karabakh, we still have work to do in the information field. As the whole Turkic world, we will continue to be the voice of Azerbaijan's cause with the spirit of unity. We will not allow these disinformation and smear campaigns. We will not let Azerbaijan's rightful victory be overshadowed."
Stating that they would do their best for Azerbaijan to celebrate the anniversary of its rightful victory with pride in the international arena for many years to come and that they would immortalise this victory in academia, media, cinema and in all areas of life, Director of Communications Altun said that disinformation and perception operations against the Karabakh victory, Azerbaijan and the countries of the Turkic world would be abolished in solidarity.
"Karabakh will never again be subjugated"
Presidency's Director of Communications Altun stated that the Azerbaijani people and the Turkic world did not and would not forget the Armenian persecution in Karabakh.
Stressing that Karabakh was Azerbaijan's own land, part of its homeland, Director of Communications Altun said, "Azerbaijan's glorious struggle to liberate its lands has taken its place in history. The Karabakh victory brought Turkishness great glory once more. The land where Azerbaijani children shed their blood for honour and homeland is halal to the end. Karabakh has been liberated and will never again be subjugated. I want to state clearly that 'The Xar-i Bulbul's sorrow has seized,' and the leaf fall season has ended for good."
Director of Communications Altun stated that "Xar-i Bulbul" is a flower that can only be seen in Shusha and its surroundings and is frequently mentioned in Turkish mythology, and that this flower was also featured in the conference visuals.
Emphasising that the geography and history encompassing Türkiye necessitates greater caution, preparation, and diligence, Director of Communications Altun said, "Every development we witness demonstrates how critical it is to be united, great, strong, and to preserve our brotherhood. Our President emphasises the importance of being united and acting in unity, emphasising that unity is the guarantee of achieving greatness. This has been clearly demonstrated in international developments."
"Azerbaijan is now writing the epic in the development of Karabakh"
Director of Communications Altun stated that the liberated lands of Karabakh have risen from the ashes today and that all of its cities have been resurrected in many areas ranging from transportation to settlement, agriculture to tourism, and continued as follows:
"In the words of our President, 'after the heroic epic of Azerbaijan, now the epic of development of Karabakh has been written'. With these development moves, Azerbaijan is building a prosperous future for the entire region. We, Türkiye and Azerbaijan, have demonstrated through our actions that our ultimate goal is peace and stability, and we will continue to do so. I would also like to state that it is in Armenia's best interests to accept Azerbaijan's victory and proceed with caution in this process. We hope they internalise the correct position and act in accordance with it. Armenia should seize this opportunity to help establish peace and stability in our region.
As Türkiye, we will continue to support our dear Azerbaijani brothers and sisters in all areas, as we have done in the past. We will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Turkic world, particularly Azerbaijan, in the Century of Türkiye, which we are enthusiastically preparing."
The conference was attended by AA Chairman of the Board and General Manager Serdar Karagöz, academicians from Türkiye and Azerbaijan, and a significant number of guests, where Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Hikmat Hajiyev also delivered a speech.
After the opening remarks, the conference resumed with panels in which the Karabakh Victory movie was also shown.
