Baku, September 18, 2025
Memory is not just a record of the past but “the foundation of our national identity, resilience and independence,” Rahman Hajiyev, chair of the Karabakh Revival Fund, said at the forum “Regional Peace, Cooperation and a Strategic Vision for Karabakh’s Revival,” Oxu.az reported.
Hajiyev framed collective remembrance – from Soviet repressions and the First Karabakh War to Azerbaijan’s 2020 victory under President Ilham Aliyev – as a force that “unites generations, turns grief into solidarity, and the sacrifice of our fallen into a cornerstone of national renewal.”
He recalled that Aliyev announced the liberation of Shusha in 2020 while addressing the nation from the Alley of Martyrs in Baku, and noted subsequent social packages for families of those killed in the war “to show their sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
Heritage sites are part of that national memory, Hajiyev added, pointing to memorial projects underway in Karabakh – the Alley of Martyrs, the Khojaly Genocide memorial, and a Victory Memorial – describing them as both symbols and “markers of our revival and national will.”
“Our memory is not confined to mourning,” he said.
“It shapes identity, strengthens unity, and inspires us to build new life on the liberated lands. As long as the lessons of the past live in our memory, we better understand our mission and strive to create a more stable, sustainable environment for future generations.”
