Khojaly ( Azerbaijani : Xocalı , listen ; Armenian : Խոջալու , romanized : Khojalu ) is a town in the Khojaly District of Azerbaijan , in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh .
36-644: The town was the second largest Azerbaijani town in the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast until the mass killing and exodus of its Azerbaijani population during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War . Stepanakert Airport is located to the immediate south of the town. The Azerbaijani name of the town, Khojaly, derives from khoja ( xoca ), which is the Azerbaijani spelling of the Persian word khawaja , meaning master. In 2001
72-454: A Security Council regarding foreign, military, and judicial matters. The primary workplace is the presidential building (also known as the presidential apparatus) on Istiglaliyyat Street in Baku . Ilham Aliyev , son of the former president, Heydar , was elected the 4th and current president on 31 October 2003 after his father's resignation due to his deteriorating health. Candidates for
108-473: A circle with a diameter. In the center is a mined image of the State Emblem of Azerbaijan, which is surrounded by two rings and 60 diamonds are lined up between the rings. The main (since 2008) presidential residence is Zagulba ( Azerbaijani : Zaqulba ). Also, the president has several part-time residences outside of Baku: As well as several vacation residences: National transport services for
144-525: A political party with no parliamentary representation is 40,000, before amendments to the law. Prior to 2009, the term of office was five years, with a maximum of two terms. A referendum in 2009 removed the limit on the number of terms, and in 2016, another referendum increased the term to seven years. According to the Azerbaijani administration, a longer term would provide for more continuity in decision-making. The Venice Commission , of which Azerbaijan
180-463: A street in Lidice was to be named "Khojaly". In March 2012, reports quoted the mayor of Lidice, Veronika Kellerova, as officially stating that Lidice and Khojaly had never been sister cities. She further repudiated reports that there exists a street named Khojaly in Lidice. Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast ( NKAO ) was an autonomous oblast within
216-482: Is a member, warned that this and other provisions of the referendum gave "unprecedented" authority to the president, and could severely upset the balance of power. The official inauguration ceremony of the president is not publicly held, occurring with the participation of officials of the Azerbaijan state (representatives of political parties, public organizations, military personnel, religious figures), members of
252-506: Is the embodiment of executive power , commander-in-chief , "representative of Azerbaijan in home and foreign policies ", and "shall have the right of immunity [from prosecution]." The president rules through his executive office, the Presidential Administration , consisting of a group of secretaries and departmental ministers. Additionally, there is a Cabinet of Ministers regarding economic and social policy and
288-585: Is the official military symbol of the president of Azerbaijan, with the original being kept in the service room of the president located in the Presidential Palace. It resembles the army flag but with the words "Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan". The badge of the president (Prezidentinin döş nişanı) was approved by decree on September 15, 2008. It is in the shape of an octagonal star made of 18 carat gold, placed in
324-593: The Azerbaijan SSR whilst granting it broad regional autonomy. Initially, the principal city of Karabakh , Shusha , and its surrounding villages were to be excluded from the autonomy as they were predominantly Azerbaijani , particularly after the massacre and expulsion of the majority Armenian population of Shusha—this decision was later reversed in 1923 when Shusha was decided to join the NKAO despite protests from Muslim villages who favoured its inclusion into
360-621: The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic that was created on July 7, 1923. Its capital was the city of Stepanakert . The majority of the population were ethnic Armenians . The area was disputed between Armenia and Azerbaijan during their short-lived independence from 1918 and 1920. After the Sovietization of Armenia and Azerbaijan , the Kavbiuro organisation decided to keep the area within
396-526: The Azerbaijani national flag in Khojaly. On 28 May 2024, Aliyev presented apartment keys to the returning residents of Khojaly. Historical heritage sites in and around the town include burial mounds and fields from the 2nd–1st millennia BCE and a 14th-century tomb. Tombstones from the Late Middle Ages and the 18th century, and a 19th-century Turkic mausoleum are located a few hundred meters to
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#1732775890767432-536: The First Nagorno-Karabakh War and hundreds were killed in the Khojaly massacre . The Khojaly massacre was the mass killing of Azerbaijanis — mostly civilians, but also armed troops — by local irregular Armenian forces and the 366th Commonwealth of Independent States Guards Motor Rifle Regiment. It was one of the four events that defined the war, along with the Karabakh Armenian seizure of Shusha and
468-489: The First Nagorno-Karabakh War by the end of 1991. On 26 November 1991, the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan abolished the autonomous status of the oblast . Its internal administrative divisions were also abolished, and its territory was split up and redistributed amongst the neighbouring administrative rayons of Khojavend , Tartar , Goranboy , Shusha , and Kalbajar . In response, the majority Armenian population of
504-538: The Kurdistan uezd instead. On July 7, 1923, Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast was created and the capital was moved to Stepanakert . At the time of its formation, its area was 4,161 km (1,607 sq mi). According to the 1926 census, the population of the region was 125,200 people, among whom the Armenians accounted for 89.2 percent. However, by 1989, the share of Armenians dropped to 76.9 percent of
540-510: The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast . As the First Nagorno-Karabakh War started, the Azerbaijani government began to implement a plan to create a new district center. From 1988 to 1990 the population of Khojaly increased from 2,135 to 6,000 residents, mostly consisting of immigrants from Soviet Central Asia (including more than 2,000 Meskhetian Turks ) and immigrants from Armenia (about 2,000). In April 1990
576-697: The capture of Lachin and the Lachin corridor between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia as well as the June 1992 Azerbaijani offensive against the Mardakert Province in Nagorno-Karabakh . The death toll claimed by the Azerbaijani authorities is 613 civilians, including 106 women and 63 children. According to Human Rights Watch , it resulted in death of at least 200 Azerbaijanis, though it is possible that as many as 500–1,000 may have died. After
612-792: The oblast . The position was created in July 1923, and abolished on August 27, 1990. The position of First Secretary was de facto appointed by the Politburo of the Soviet Union or by the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union . Below is a list of office-holders: A conflict between the Armenians in the oblast and the government of the Azerbaijan SSR broke out in 1987. The fighting escalated into
648-595: The Azerbaijani government abolished the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast and its internal divisions. Khojaly was given city status and became the regional center for the newly created Khojaly District composed of the former Askeran District and part of the Martuni District . The town had 6,300 Azerbaijani inhabitants in 1991. Most of the inhabitants fled during the town's capture by Armenian forces on 26 February 1992 during
684-595: The Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, to protect the independence and territorial integrity of the state, and to serve the people with dignity." Then the person elected president of Azerbaijan puts his right hand on the Koran and takes the following oath: "I will remain faithful to the national moral values and traditions created by the Azerbaijani people for centuries, and I will always hold them high." Then
720-683: The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the town became part of the Askeran Province of the Republic of Artsakh and the town was settled by Armenians. The town had an Armenian -majority population of 908 inhabitants in 2005, and 1,397 inhabitants in 2015. After the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war , five Armenian families displaced from Vazgenashen (Gulably) settled in the town, as well as in Shosh (Shushikend) . Artsakh launched
756-544: The construction of two new residential districts in the town in 2021, consisting of more than 400 apartments for displaced people from the village of Mets Tagher (Boyuk Taghlar) in the Hadrut Province . Khojaly came under Azerbaijani control on 24 September 2023, after the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh . On 15 October 2023, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev raised
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#1732775890767792-513: The country's Constitution and federal laws. The president is invested with extensive rights to implement the state's foreign policy. The president determines Azerbaijan's position in international affairs and represents the state in international relations, conducts negotiations and signs ratification documents. The president serves as the supreme commander-in-chief of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces . In this capacity, he has
828-604: The government, deputies of the National Assembly, members of the president's family, as well as foreign representatives and other invited guests. It is held within three days after the confirmation of the elected president by the Constitutional Court, during which the president takes the following oath: "I swear, while exercising the powers of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, to observe
864-719: The leadership of the Azerbaijani SSR in 1969 saw increasing attempts to tighten Baku's control over the autonomous region. In 1973–74 Aliyev purged the entire leadership of the NKAO, who were regarded as Armenian nationalists. He appointed Boris Kevorkov , an Armenian from outside Karabakh, as the First Secretary of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan . In 1977,
900-437: The oath of office has been taken by the elected president, the standard is handed over to the president. These devices are used to display the rank of his office and are used on special occasions. The standard is a square version of the Azerbaijani flag , charged in the center with the Azerbaijani coat of arms. Golden fringe is added to the standard. Copies of the standard are used inside his office, other state agencies, and while
936-484: The oblast declared their independence as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic which was supported by Armenia . 39°48′55″N 46°45′07″E / 39.8153°N 46.7519°E / 39.8153; 46.7519 President of Azerbaijan The president of the Republic of Azerbaijan is the head of state of the Republic of Azerbaijan . The Constitution states that the president
972-501: The population of the autonomous region. Reasons for this include the policy of Soviet Azerbaijani authorities to settle Azerbaijanis in the region and some out-migration of Karabakh Armenians, as well as the generally higher birthrate among Azerbaijanis than among Armenians. Although the question of Nagorno-Karabakh's status did not become a major public issue until the mid-1980s, Armenian intellectuals, Soviet Armenian and Karabakh Armenian leadership periodically made appeals to Moscow for
1008-496: The position must be Azerbaijani citizens without age restrictions and have lived in Azerbaijan for at least 10 years. According to the Constitution of Azerbaijan, the same person can be on the post of President an unlimited number of terms. Each faction in the National Assembly has the right to nominate a candidate for the presidential elections. The minimum number of signatures for a presidential candidate fielded by
1044-406: The power to declare a martial law. The Office of the President of Azerbaijan is the executive administration of the president, and is in charge of fulfilling the constitutional responsibilities of the president. The headquarters of office is located on Istiglaliyyat Street in Baku . It is currently headed by Samir Nuriyev . The Security Council ( Təhlükəsizlik Şurası ) is an advisory body to
1080-479: The president is traveling in a vehicle inside Azerbaijan. A 2:3 ratio version of the flag is used when the President is at sea. This is the most used symbol to denote the presence of the Azerbaijan president. The flag of the supreme commander-in-chief of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces was approved by the decree of President Ilham Aliyev on 11 April 2019. The flag of the supreme commander-in-chief
1116-654: The president, established on 10 April 1997. The Security Council ensures the creation of conditions for the President to exercise his constitutional powers in the field of security. The chairman of the Security Council under the president of Azerbaijan is the president of Azerbaijan. The following people are members of the council: Chief military advisors to the president of Azerbaijan have included Nuraddin Sadigov (1993–1999), Tofig Aghahuseynov (1997–2002) and National Security Vahid Aliyev (since April 2002). After
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1152-423: The president-elect of Azerbaijan bows and kisses the Azerbaijani flag. The ceremony ends with a speech by the president-elect of Azerbaijan. The following is a list of presidential inaugurations: As the guarantor of the Constitution and the entire system of constitutional law, the president ensures that the constitutions, laws and regulations of the constituent territories of the Azerbaijan be in full compliance with
1188-477: The prominent Armenian author Sero Khanzadyan wrote an open letter to Leonid Brezhnev calling for Nagorno-Karabakh's annexation to Soviet Armenia. There were five administrative divisions or raions in the NKAO ;: The First Secretary of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan was the Communist Party of Azerbaijan 's head and highest executive power within
1224-460: The region's transfer to Soviet Armenia. In 1945, the leader of Soviet Armenia Grigory Arutinov appealed to Stalin to attach the region to Soviet Armenia, which was rejected. In 1965, thirteen Karabakh Armenian party officials wrote to Soviet leadership with their grievances about the attitude of Soviet Azerbaijani officials towards the NKAO. Many of these Karabakh Armenian officials were dismissed or moved to Armenia. The rise of Heydar Aliyev to
1260-677: The settlement was renamed Ivanyan (Իվանյան) by Artsakh, after the late general of the Artsakh Defence Army , Kristapor Ivanyan . According to the 1910 publication of the Caucasian Calendar , Khojaly had 184 Tatar (i.e. Azerbaijani ) inhabitants in 1908. In the 1912 publication, Khojaly had 172 Tatar and 52 Russian inhabitants. During the Soviet period, Khojaly was a village in the Askeran District of
1296-626: The west of the town. The population is mainly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry . As of 2015, the town has a municipal building, a house of culture, a secondary school, eleven shops, and a medical centre. In February 2010, the Azeri-Czech Society reported that representatives of the Azeri administration of Khojaly in exile and the Czech town of Lidice were to sign an agreement making Khojaly and Lidice sister cities and that
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