The delegations of Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan late of the Third General Conference of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Economic Co-operation Organisation visited Azerbaijan’s cultural capital of Shusha on 18 May.

They were accompanied by Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova and other officials.

This travel brought the guests to the international airport of Fuzuli first. They were told there about the technical capabilities of the ‘Air Gates’ of Garabagh, as the facility is called, built and commissioned in a short while pursuant the orders of President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan. The new airport had been built to the cutting-edge standards and can accommodate aircraft of any type. The guests were shown the scale models of the Fuzuli Airport and the Lachin Airport, too, the latter under construction currently.

Next, the guests travelled from Fuzuli to Shusha, to be welcomed on arrival by the Special Presidential Representative in the Shusha Province Aydin Karimov who told them about the Shusha Stronghold walls, recounted the history of the town, covered its state in the occupation period and expanded on the current rebuilding work under way in it. The visiting parliamentary delegations were made aware that the monuments of history and the mosques of the town were being restored under the immediate control of President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyev. Besides, the already-restored monuments of history and the new residential buildings to be erected yet were talked about, too.

The guests had a look at the Shusha Stronghold walls and were introduced to the on-going restoration work at the office building of the Special Presidential Representation in the town square. They learned about the square itself as well as about the Armenians having shot at the statues of the Azerbaijani culture luminaries Khurshidbanu Natavan, Bulbul and Uzeyir Hajibeyov installed in the square. Right in front of those monuments, the famous photo journalist Rza Degati showed the arrivals the photographs he had taken of Shusha – including at the time of the Patriotic War. Rza Degati shared his thoughts about the courage of the Azerbaijani soldiers and the love of peace of the Azerbaijanis, too. Then, the guests told the accompanying mass media people of their impressions from the trip to Shusha and talked to them also about the great victory of Azerbaijan.

The walk around Shusha included an account of the damage the Armenians had inflicted on our cultural heritage and of the Armenians faking ancient artefacts. Also, the PAECO conference participants went to the Yukhari Govkharaga, Ashaghi Govkharaga and Saatli mosques, where they learned that a few days back President Ilham Aliyev had graced the ground-breaking ceremony for a new mosque to be erected in Shusha. The minarets of this new mosque would be 100 metres tall each, it was said.  

Further, the parliamentary delegations went to the Chidir Plain and listened to the story of the heroism of our warriors who had climbed the steep drops to reach the plain in order to liberate Shusha at the cost of their lives and blood. And now, the Chidir Plain is again a venue for splendid events as it had been before the occupation.

The Press and Public Relations Department

The Milli Majlis