On January 14, 2021, President Ilam Aliyev of Azerbaijan visited the recently liberated territories of Azerbaijan on Thursday, where he broke ground for a new infrastructure project.

The President’s first stop was Fuzuli District, which was liberated from Armenian occupation in the counterattack code-named "Iron Fist" on October 17. The President laid the foundation for the Fuzuli-Shusha Expressway in Fuzuli District and Fuzuli Airport. This highway will make the connection between these two locations shorter and faster. After the completion of the airport, it will be the second airport in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan after Khojaly Airport. Khojaly Airport has not been used for almost 30 years after Armenia occupied the land of Azerbaijan.

The President said, "This is an important project for the development of our liberated areas. Fuzuli International Airport will be put into use in 2021. At least the runway will be put into use in 2021. The airport construction may be put into use in 2021 or 2022. The purpose is to satisfy The needs of foreign tourists arriving in Shasha. The distance from here to Shasha is not long."

The airport’s runway is 2,800 meters long and will receive international and domestic flights. Fuzuli City is located 60 kilometers southeast of Shusha City. President Aliyev said that the establishment of a new road and an air port in Fuzuli is part of the "great return" of Azerbaijanis to the Karabakh region. The President announced that another international airport will be built in the liberated Karbahar or Lachin area. According to the tripartite ceasefire statement signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on November 9, the Karbahar and Lachin regions have all returned to Azerbaijan.Editor/Huang Lijun