On August 21, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev outlined the objectives behind past free arms supplies to Armenia, celebrated Azerbaijan’s military and diplomatic successes, and highlighted progress in peace and infrastructure projects, including the Nakhchivan connection. During a meeting with the residents of Kalbajar, he revealed the purpose behind the free arms supplies provided to Armenia by various countries in the past.

Aliyev stated, "The cost of the weapons the Armenian army received from abroad, which we destroyed in the Second Karabakh War and the anti-terrorist operation and took as military booty, amounted to approximately 5-6 billion dollars. Of course, Armenia did not have the money to buy so many weapons. All these weapons were given to them for free, for the purpose of continuing the occupation, for the purpose of ensuring that Azerbaijanis could never return to their ancestral lands, for the purpose of ensuring that this conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan was not resolved peacefully."

The President emphasized that the November 10, 2020 ceasefire had been the right decision, although parts of Azerbaijani territory remained outside of Baku’s control at that time. "From that time until September 19, 2023, our main goal was to fully restore the sovereignty of our country," Aliyev said. He underlined that the elimination of the so-called Lachin corridor, its transformation into the Lachin-Khankendi road, the establishment of a checkpoint on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and the capture of strategic heights in operations such as Farrukh, Girkhgiz, and Saribaba were all part of a consistent policy and formed "our glorious history."

Aliyev noted that the Armenia-Azerbaijan reconciliation process was nearly complete and that the signed documents fully reflected Baku’s interests. He stressed, "We have achieved what we wanted; the infamous Minsk Group is now living its final days. In fact, it was not functioning and could not function. However, it still existed legally, but now its end is approaching." The President also highlighted that Azerbaijan was the author of the peace agreement with Armenia, and Baku’s positions had served as the basis for its clauses. "The fact that this document has been initialed actually puts an end to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict," Aliyev stated.

The President further announced that an overland connection with Nakhchivan had been secured. He said that construction of the railway to Zangilan was progressing rapidly and would likely be completed next year. "We will now fully modernize the railway in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The construction of the railway is also planned on the territory of Armenia. In other words, Armenia has also taken on this obligation, and this is yet another historic success for us," Aliyev emphasized.