Ahead of Azerbaijan’s Remembrance Day on 27 September, Daily News Hungary spoke exclusively with Dr Esmira Jafarova, Ambassador-designate of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Hungary, about the legacy of the decades-long former Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict and the prospects for lasting peace in the South Caucasus.
In this exclusive interview, Ambassador Jafarova discusses the human cost of the conflict, the significance of remembrance for Azerbaijanis, the return of displaced communities, ongoing humanitarian challenges and the latest developments in the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Daily News Hungary: Madam Ambassador, what does 27 September mean to the people of Azerbaijan?
Ambassador Jafarova: For Azerbaijanis, 27 September is a day of profound national sorrow and remembrance. We honour our valiant servicemen, who lost their lives for the restoration of our country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the civilians who perished during those hostilities. Those whom we lost will always remain in our hearts. Yet for their families, the loss is not only a matter of national remembrance; it is profoundly personal and life-altering. Each of them was someone’s son or daughter, parent, spouse, sibling or friend. Each unfinished life tells a story of interrupted hopes, personal sacrifice and a family forever changed by loss. As Heydar Aliyev, the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people, once said,
“The memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the Motherland will live forever in our hearts, and their courage will be written in golden letters in the history of the Azerbaijani people.”
These words remain deeply meaningful today. Remembrance is not only about 27 September; it is part of our collective memory.
It is important to distinguish this day from Victory Day, which Azerbaijanis observe on 8 November. The two dates are closely connected: 27 September marks the beginning of the 44-day Patriotic War, while 8 November commemorates the liberation of Shusha and Azerbaijan’s victory. Their emotional character, however, is different. On 27 September, we pause to remember the price our country paid to restore its territorial integrity and finally bring peace to the South Caucasus. It is not a celebration of war. It is a moment of national gratitude, grief and reflection.
Daily News Hungary: You argue that the war paved the way for peace. How do you reconcile that with its devastating human cost?
Ambassador Jafarova: Throughout history, war has been one of the darkest realities of human existence. The bloodshed, loss and suffering caused by war are always devastating. The great Hungarian statesman Lajos Kossuth indicated that peace should be pursued wherever possible, but that a nation must also defend its lawful rights and freedom when they come under attack. This distinction is important in understanding Azerbaijan’s experience. For almost three decades, we pursued a peaceful settlement through negotiations facilitated by the OSCE Minsk Group and hoped that a just peace would finally restore our territorial integrity and allow displaced people to return to their homes.
Unfortunately, those negotiations produced no tangible result. The continued occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia obstructed regional cooperation and deepened mistrust between the two peoples. Hostility and grievances were passed down through the generations. The status quo maintained since the 1994 ceasefire agreement was often described as “neither war nor peace”. It prolonged displacement, preserved division and left the region trapped in a permanent state of instability and limbo.
After nearly thirty years of unsuccessful diplomacy and repeated armed provocations by Armenia, the situation had become untenable and renewed conflict ultimately became unavoidable. The 44-day war, triggered by a new wave of military provocations and strategic miscalculations by Armenia, marked a decisive turning point in the decades-long conflict and fundamentally changed the political landscape of the South Caucasus.
Daily News Hungary: You have said that the 44-day war fundamentally changed the political landscape of the South Caucasus. What exactly changed?
Ambassador Jafarova: The war did more than alter the military balance. Until 2020, occupation and conflict shaped the politics of the region. The status quo ante bellum prevented normal relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, obstructed wider regional cooperation and allowed external actors to gain considerable leverage in managing the conflict, without ultimately producing a settlement.
The 44-day war and the subsequent local anti-terror measures changed this dynamic and the realities on the ground. Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty, and immediately after the military phase ended, H.E. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, initiated a peace process with Armenia that, for the first time in decades, offered a genuine prospect of lasting peace in the region.
War changed the situation on the ground and enabled the launch of a more forward-looking, peace-oriented dialogue with Armenia. The draft peace agreement with Armenia went through several iterations over three years (2022–2025) before finally being initialled in Washington, D.C., on 8 August 2025. The initialling of the “Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan”, which was facilitated by the United States, marked a historic milestone. It showed that the two countries can agree on a common legal framework based on mutual recognition of sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Daily News Hungary: How do you assess the prospects for peace in the region?
Ambassador Jafarova: The principal obstacle to the signing of the final peace agreement remains the need to remove provisions from Armenia’s constitutional framework that contain territorial claims against Azerbaijan, including the preamble’s reference to the 1989 declaration on the unification of Armenia and the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region. Azerbaijan sees the initialled peace agreement as the basis for a new relationship between the two neighbouring states, founded on peaceful coexistence and practical cooperation.
Since then, we have embarked on a path of practical cooperation with Armenia. Starting from the end of 2025, Azerbaijan has unilaterally begun transferring and exporting goods and foodstuffs to Armenia, including grain, petrol and diesel fuel. The “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) multimodal connectivity project is set not only to ensure unimpeded connectivity between the main part of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, but also to create a new strategic connectivity line linking Asia and Europe through railways, highways, energy lines, power transmission systems and fibre-optic infrastructure.
Yet, as the familiar saying goes, “it takes two to tango.” Turning this opportunity into durable peace will require both sides to honour their commitments, including when difficult decisions are required. Outstanding issues remain, including the removal of legal provisions from Armenia’s constitution that perpetuate the legacy of the conflict. Nevertheless, there is now more reason than ever to believe that the remaining differences can be resolved through dialogue.
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Daily News Hungary: Finally, beyond commemoration itself, how does the legacy of the conflict continue to affect everyday life in Azerbaijan?
Ambassador Jafarova: Following the liberation of the formerly occupied territories, the Government of Azerbaijan launched a large-scale reconstruction and rehabilitation programme – the “Great Return” Programme – and work has progressed at a remarkable pace. Thousands of formerly displaced families have since returned to their native towns and villages, many of which have been rebuilt as “smart” towns and villages. For many of them, returning home has helped to heal some of the wounds left by decades of displacement. More than USD 13 billion has been invested in these territories to date.
The effects of the former conflict, however, are still deeply felt. Azerbaijan’s liberated territories are among the most heavily landmine-contaminated areas in the world. Experts estimate that around one and a half million landmines were planted across the former conflict zone. Even after the war ended, hundreds of civilians have been killed or injured in landmine explosions. Each new incident brings the legacy of the conflict painfully back into everyday life, delays reconstruction and prevents displaced families from returning safely to their homes.
Azerbaijan is carrying out intensive demining operations throughout the liberated territories, relying mostly on its own resources, with some support from international partners. Unfortunately, Armenia has not provided reliable minefield maps, which seriously delays the clearance process and poses a continued threat to civilian lives.
Another deeply painful legacy of the conflict is the unknown fate of thousands of missing persons. Around 4,000 Azerbaijani citizens have remained unaccounted for since the First Karabakh War. Following the liberation of the formerly occupied territories, numerous mass graves were discovered by the relevant Azerbaijani authorities. The remains of dozens of missing persons have since been recovered, identified and returned to families who had waited decades for news of their loved ones.
Given the scale of the challenge, support from international partners and specialised institutions remains essential. Azerbaijan has put forward a number of initiatives to encourage their greater involvement in this humanitarian effort. Armenia, meanwhile, has the most direct knowledge of the circumstances surrounding these disappearances. Although Armenia has recently returned the remains of dozens of persons registered as missing since the 1990s to Azerbaijan, full cooperation is still needed to clarify the fate of thousands of others.
On this solemn day, 27 September, we commemorate those who died for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. We do so, however, with a sense of pride and accomplishment alongside feelings of loss and sadness. Our hope is that future generations will inherit a region where dialogue and cooperation have ultimately silenced the guns and old wounds have healed.
As we wrote earlier, Azerbaijan proudly celebrates 108th anniversary of independence
