BAKU (AP) — Hundreds of Azerbaijani soldiers paraded on November 8 through Stepanakert, now named Khankendi, the capital city of Karabakh, that came under full control of Azerbaijan in September after a lightning rout of ethnic Armenian forces.
“We showed the whole world the strength, determination and indomitable spirit of the Azerbaijani people,” Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev said in an address at the parade, which also included tanks and military equipment that was seized from Armenian forces.
Azerbaijan began blockading that road last winter, leading to severe food and medicine shortages in the Armenian-held area. Then in September, it launched a blitz that forced the separatist forces to disband.
More than 100,000 ethnic Armenians fled the region in the following days, leaving the city nearly deserted.
The parade marked Azerbaijan’s Victory Day, a holiday that commemorates the retaking of territory in 2020.
