Azerbaijan celebrates the fifth anniversary of Victory Day, inscribed in golden letters in its history. On this day in 2020, under the leadership of Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, the Azerbaijani Army achieved Victory in Karabakh, and our lands, which had been under occupation for nearly 30 years, were liberated from the hateful enemy. We can state with great pride that this Victory, which began five years ago, has now transformed into a stage of revival and reconstruction in our history. At this juncture, it must not be forgotten that behind this day, which has left a deep mark in the heart of each of us, lies the sacrifice of our heroes.
Modern.az spoke with Etibar Aghakishiyev, the father of martyr Nurlan Aghakishiyev, on the 5th anniversary of the Victory:
“To be honest, I miss Nurlan very much… But I can say that today we are both proud, joyful, and a little sad. We are sad because a part of my soul is gone. But the main thing is that the suffering inflicted upon our people since the 1990s has come to an end.”
E. Aghakishiyev was wounded and lost his leg in the battles for Fuzuli during the First Karabakh War. He stated that although he was a veteran, many people did not know him previously:
“Although I was a veteran, not many people knew me. But after Nurlan ascended to the peak of martyrdom, more people recognized me. He, as it were, completed our family's pride. My being a veteran and his martyrdom – this was a great pride for our family.”
The martyr's father stated that he last met Nurlan on August 15 in Aghdam:
"Our last phone conversation took place on the day the war began – September 27, around 7:30 AM. Nurlan himself called me and said that the war had started. I said, Nurlan, death came before my eyes. He bravely stood and asked, “Father, what's wrong, is my death coming before your eyes?” This was our last conversation with my son. I said, take care of yourself, watch out!”
The next day, September 28, he was martyred.”
According to E. Aghakishiyev, his relationship with his son was always within certain boundaries:
“We didn't have a very open relationship with Nurlan; there was a certain barrier between us. I wanted him to grow up like a man, brave. And so he did. As a child, he wanted to be a chef, but I didn't allow it. In addition, Nurlan was also involved in freestyle wrestling and, at the same time, was studying municipal administration. I used to tell him, “municipal administration has a future.””
He also said that Nurlan was both the pillar of his family and a child who served his father:
“He was a very wonderful child; it was as if my arms and wings were gone. He was both a support and a help to me. He would massage my injured leg and attend to me. I wanted him to be a child who was valuable to his people, to his nation. It was my wish to go as a matchmaker for him, for a bride to come to our home. But such was fate.”
May Allah protect our people, our nation. May our Victory be eternal,” the martyr's father concluded his thoughts.
Nurlan Etibar oglu Aghakishiyev was born on July 22, 2002, in Sumgayit city, into the family of Etibar Aghakishiyev, a veteran of the Karabakh War.
Since 2020, he served in active military service in military unit "N" of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.
Nurlan Aghakishiyev, a soldier of the Azerbaijani Army, joined the Patriotic War, which began on September 27, 2020, for the liberation of territories under Armenian occupation by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. He was martyred on September 28 in the direction of Aghdam district. Nurlan was buried in the 2nd Alley of Honor.
In accordance with the Decree of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev dated 15.12.2020, Nurlan Aghakishiyev was posthumously awarded the "For the Motherland" medal for participating in combat operations to ensure the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and for honorably fulfilling his duty during the execution of tasks assigned to his military unit.
In accordance with the Decree of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev dated 24.06.2021, Nurlan Aghakishiyev was posthumously awarded the "For the Liberation of Aghdam" medal for participating in combat operations for the liberation of Azerbaijan's Aghdam district and for demonstrating personal bravery and valor.
