On December 1, the Lachin district was returned to Azerbaijan. Without firing a shot. According to the trilateral statement signed on November 10, 2020 by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the Armenian armed forces were withdrawn from the Lachin district.

The Lachin district was occupied by the Armenian armed forces on May 18, 1992. During the occupation of the district, 264 Azerbaijanis were killed, 65 were taken hostage, and 103 became disabled. Six residents of Lachin were awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan. About 70,000 internally displaced persons from the Lachin district were accommodated in 59 cities and districts of the country. During the occupation, the area suffered damage in the amount of 7.1 billion US dollars.

On the night of December 1, 2020, units of the Azerbaijani Army entered the Lachin district. On this day, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev addressed the people in connection with the return of the Lachin district to its rightful owners.

"The liberation of the Lachin district from occupation is a historic event. Moreover, we returned the Lachin district without a single shot. We forced the enemy to do this. The bright victory won on the battlefield led to this excellent result, three of our districts - Agdam, Kalbajar and Lachin - were returned to us. We returned these areas without a single shot, without a single martyr," the head of state said. - Lachin district will play an important role in the future economic development of Azerbaijan. First of all, we will return Lachin to the people of Lachin."

On December 1, 2020, the Lachin district was liberated from occupation, but the city of Lachin and two villages, Zabukh and Sus, were not under our control, because the former Lachin corridor passed through these settlements. The city of Lachin and the villages of Sus and Zabukh completely came under the control of Azerbaijan on August 26, 2023. This day was officially declared Lachin City Day in the country.

At a meeting with residents of Lachin on Lachin City Day in August 2023, President Ilham Aliyev recalled the same pre-war meeting: "I remember when I turned 50, I met with residents of Lachin in Karabakh, in the Agjabedinsky district of Karabakh, in the village of Takhtakerpu, and told them: a new town for displaced persons has been opened, the state provides for you better conditions, but after the liberation of our lands, we will create even better conditions for you in Lachin, and that's what happened. I celebrated my 50th birthday in Agjabedi with the people of Lachin, and my 60th birthday in Shusha, on Jydyr Duzyu. And today, on the Day of the City of Lachin, I am participating with you in these festive events. This is a great happiness for me, for you, for each of us. We are experiencing happy days and I am sure that from now on our people will live in peace, tranquility, will build and create in their native lands. Using the example of the Lachin district, we see the realities of a resurgent Azerbaijan, we see the resurgent lands."

The return of the city of Lachin to its true owners was one of the final steps towards the complete eradication of separatism on Azerbaijani soil. A few weeks later, on September 19-20, 2023, Azerbaijan fully restored its sovereignty in all territories of the country.

The road to this victory also ran through Lachin. Both literally and figuratively. On April 23, at 12:00, units of the State Border Guard Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan established a border checkpoint at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road in the sovereign territories of our country. This was done in order to prevent the illegal transfer of manpower, ammunition, mines, and other military equipment from Armenia to the Armenian armed forces on the territory of Azerbaijan, carried out contrary to the Trilateral Statement of November 10, 2020. That ended the separatists' hopes of keeping the Lachin road under their control. After this step, the complete liberation of Karabakh was only a matter of time.

Lachin district has a rich historical past. The monuments on its territory can be compared in their significance and uniqueness with the Azykh cave in the Khojavend district and the Taglar cave in the Jabrayil district, dating back to the I-II millennium BC. During the Armenian occupation, more than 200 historical monuments of local and 54 monuments of world significance, 217 cultural institutions, 101 educational institutions, 142 healthcare institutions, and so on were looted and destroyed. The monuments affected by Armenian barbarism include the Albanian monastery of Agoglan, the tomb of Malik Azhdar, a mosque in the village of Garagyshlag, and an ancient cemetery in the village of Zabukh. The Lachin Historical Museum and an ancient collection of gold, silver and bronze coins were looted. Later, an exhibit from the Lachin Historical Museum, a silver bag, was illegally auctioned at Sotheby's in London and sold for $80,000.

One of the most famous monuments of Lachin is the Agoglan Temple (INV No. 310), an Albanian monastery of the 5th-6th centuries, located on the banks of the Agoglan River. After the occupation of the Lachin district by Armenia, the temple was subjected to Armenization, and irreparable damage was inflicted on the unique monument.

Lachin district is rich not only in history, but also in natural resources. Numerous mineral deposits, including gold and copper deposits, have been identified in the area. The area has rich deposits of mercury, limestone, marble limestone, and agate. There are springs of healing mineral waters here: Turshsu, Galaderesi, Khirmanlar, Nagdaly and others.

And, of course, it is impossible not to mention the magnificent natural landscapes of the Lachin district, its rich flora and fauna. To protect rare natural complexes, the Lachin State Reserve was established in 1961, located on 20 hectares, and in 1987 the Garagel State Reserve was established on an area of 240 hectares.

Today, the riches of Lachin once again serve the prosperity of this land. And it will always be like this now.