Festive ceremonies are going on in Nagorno-Karabakh since May, 7

A triple holiday is celebrated in Nagorno-Karabakh on May, 9: the Day of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the 19th anniversary of creation of the Defense Army of Karabakh and the day of liberation of the town of Shushi. 

Festive actions started in the republic yet on May, 7. On that day schoolchildren visited a number of military units attached to educative institutions and the members of the Government and the deputies paid a visit to the contact line between the Armenian and Azerbaijani troops.

On May, 8, a liturgy was served in Kazanchetsots church of Shushi and a ceremony of presentation state awards and a festive concert were held in the residence of the President of Karabakh Bako Saakyan. 

On May, 9, representatives of the community and the authorities of the republic visited Stepanakert Memorial Complex. A demonstration of weapons and military equipment was organized in Stepanakert and military columns marched along the streets of the capital. All sorts of cultural and sports events and street festivities are going on in Karabakh. A festive concert and fireworks will be held in the central Vozrozhdenia (Renaissance) square in the evening. 

It should be reminded that on May, 9, 1992, Armenian troops entered the town of Shushi which was under the Azerbaijani party's control and according to the Armenian party, since the beginning of the war Stepanakert was regularly fired upon from this town. Several days later, on May, 12, the Armenian troops conquered Lachin and in this way Nagorno-Karabakh lost its status of an enclave inside Azerbaijan and got a direct way to Armenia through Lachin corridor. 

According the Azerbaijani party, 23 thousand Azerbaijanis had to leave their inhabitancies as a result of seizure of Shushi district.