President Ilham Aliyev has emphasized the necessity of maintaining high vigilance against revanchist forces in Armenia during a meeting with residents in the city of Zangilan. The head of state highlighted the extensive environmental and structural damage inflicted during the period of occupation, noting that approximately 60,000 hectares of Azerbaijan's forest fund were destroyed by the occupiers, primarily in the Kalbajar and Lachin districts, as well as in Zangilan.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that President Ilham Aliyev characterized these actions as a combination of plunder, hostility, and unprovoked cruelty. "The Azerbaijani people have done no harm to the Armenian people. The reasons for their hatred toward us should probably be investigated by psychiatrists, psychologists, and doctors. As long as there are political forces in Armenian society living with feelings of hatred against Azerbaijan, we must remain vigilant," the President stated.
The restoration of Zangilan and other liberated territories remains a top priority for the Republic of Azerbaijan following the 44-day Patriotic War in 2020. The government has launched large-scale infrastructure projects, including the "Great Return" program, aimed at rebuilding cities and villages from the ground up. These efforts include the restoration of ecological resources and the implementation of "smart city" and "smart village" concepts to ensure the sustainable resettlement of internally displaced persons to their ancestral lands.
