Azerbaijan President promises to 'rebuild & revive' Kalbajar region ceded by Armenia

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Wednesday, November 25 that the country would "rebuild" and "revive" the Kalbajar region after Armenian troops left the territory. Aliyev, while addressing the nation, promised to return normalcy in the region and said that he have ordered the authorities to start preparing for "reconstruction" as soon as possible. Armenia ceded the region to Azerbaijan after a month-long battle that ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire agreement. 

Read: Azerbaijani Troops Enter Further Territory Ceded By Armenia

Azerbaijan had given the Armenian troops time until November 25 to leave the Kalbajar region. Azerbaijan has been taking control of the ceded territories by Armenia as on Friday the country's troops had entered the Aghdam district. Armenia was supposed to hand over the Kalbajar region to Azerbaijan on November 15, but Yerevan sought some time from Baku due to damaged roads, and later both countries agreed on November 25 for the transfer. Azerbaijan will hand over the Lachin district to Azerbaijan on December 1. 

Read: Azerbaijan Troops Enter Aghdam After Armenia Hands Over Nagorno-Karabakh Districts

Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict

Armenia and Azerbaijan were involved in an all-out war since September 27 after skirmishes between both sides, that were going on since July, turned hostile. The fighting lasted for over a month before a Moscow-brokered peace deal came into force on November 10, which not only ended the fight but also allowed Russian peacekeepers to be deployed in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Read: Russian President Putin Warns Armenia Against Backing Out Of Nagorno-Karabakh Deal

According to the deal, the warring sides will exchange prisoners of war, detainees, and dead bodies and the UN Commissioner for Refugee will oversee the return of displaced people to Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent regions. Many people, who were displaced during the war, have already returned to their homes, while the process is still underway. 

After Yerevan decided to cede territories to Baku, thousands of ethnic Armenian people burned their homes and fled the region. This also triggered a massive uproar in Armenia, where people took to the streets to demand Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's resignation. The call has sparked concerns in the Kremlin as President Vladimir Putin fears that the new government would back out of the deal. However, the Armenian Prime Minister has said he does not plan to step down. 

Read: Azeri Army Enters Territory Ceded By Armenia

(Image Credit: AP)