September 20: The Day Azerbaijan Restored Full Sovereignty Over Its Entire Territory
September 20 holds great significance in the centuries-old history of our people’s statehood. Commemorated under the Order of the Head of State, President Ilham Aliyev, dated September 19, 2024, it marks a landmark event: the full restoration of state sovereignty and constitutional order throughout the entire territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
After the restoration of its independence, one of the most important tasks facing the Azerbaijani people was securing the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Because of an occupation that lasted many years, state authority and the legal force of the Constitution could not be fully applied in Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territories. This had serious consequences both for the country’s interests as a state and for the fundamental rights of millions of people. Official documents of the Azerbaijani state presented the restoration of territorial integrity and sovereignty as one of the main priorities of state policy.
A major stage in restoring our state’s territorial integrity was the Patriotic War, which began on September 27, 2020, and lasted 44 days. The war liberated a number of Azerbaijan’s cities, districts and villages from occupation and achieved significant results toward restoring the country’s territorial integrity. The events of 2020 were thus one of the key stages in this process. Afterward, one of the main issues before Azerbaijan was the full restoration of state sovereignty and constitutional order in the Karabakh region.
September 19, 2023, is remembered as one of the turning points in Azerbaijan’s history. On that day, local anti-terrorist measures were launched in the Karabakh economic region to prevent large-scale provocations, disarm the remnants of the Armenian armed forces and remove them from Azerbaijani territory, and restore constitutional order. The operation lasted just 23 hours and 43 minutes and ended on September 20. The Azerbaijani Army carried out its assigned tasks with a high degree of professionalism, and our country’s state sovereignty was fully restored.
The swift completion of the operation demonstrated the professionalism, readiness and high combat capability of the Azerbaijani Army. Despite difficult terrain and pre-prepared engineering fortifications, the army achieved significant military results on all fronts. As a result of the operation, 406 square kilometers of territory came under the control of the Azerbaijani Army.
Another important feature of the operation was the particular attention paid to protecting the civilian population. Azerbaijani military units were instructed to ensure that the Armenian population living in Karabakh came to no harm, and civilians were warned through various means. Measures were taken to provide medical and other assistance to women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities and the sick.
As a result of the successful operations, the perpetrators of the Khojaly massacre and those who had held our lands captive for years were also made to answer before the law. The court proceedings in the criminal case against members of the so-called regime have concluded. On the basis of irrefutable evidence and facts gathered over the years, members of the terrorist group that, together with the Armenian armed forces and illegal armed formations, committed crimes against the Azerbaijani people have received the punishment they deserved. Having restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty in accordance with international law and the UN Charter, Azerbaijan has every legal right to hold accountable those found guilty of grave crimes, including crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes and terrorism, committed through the creation of the so-called regime.
Following these events, the securing of state sovereignty across the entire territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the establishment of the Constitution’s full legal force were assessed in the state’s official position as an outcome of special historical significance.
Subsequently, State Sovereignty Day was established by the Order of President Ilham Aliyev dated September 19, 2024, and since then September 20 has been observed every year as State Sovereignty Day in the Republic of Azerbaijan. September 20 has thereby become one of the official dates in Azerbaijan’s modern history that expresses the unity of statehood, territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The establishment of State Sovereignty Day serves to preserve the memory of key events in the history of Azerbaijan’s modern statehood. It is a landmark date reflecting the people’s commitment to fundamental values such as state independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty. The restoration of sovereignty has also brought to the fore the importance of civic and state consciousness, national solidarity and historical memory in Azerbaijani society. Alongside securing territorial integrity, large-scale restoration and reconstruction in the liberated territories has become one of the main directions of this new stage.
The importance of state sovereignty and constitutional values received special attention in 2025. By the Order of the Head of State dated December 28, 2024, 2025 was declared the “Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty” in Azerbaijan. This decision was an important step in raising public awareness of the role of the Constitution and state sovereignty in Azerbaijani statehood, strengthening legal education, and promoting the study of the nation’s history of statehood.
As one of the important chapters in the history of the Azerbaijani people’s independence and statehood, September 20 carries special meaning in teaching new generations the value of sovereignty, territorial integrity, the supremacy of the Constitution and state independence. Its observance throughout the Republic also involves honoring the memory of the martyrs who played a vital role in Azerbaijan’s modern history, recognizing the service of military personnel and state institutions devoted to the Motherland, and studying the historical dimensions of the struggle for the country’s territorial integrity.
