Day of Victorious Army: "We proved ourselves on battlefield"

"Azerbaijan is a strong country, we have a powerful army," a special forces serviceman of the Azerbaijani Navy, senior lieutenant Ruslan Abayev told Report.

He said that economic growth and a strong army are among the factors that determine the power of a state:

"Today we can proudly say that in addition to economic and political achievements, our country has also made great strides in army building. According to international ratings, the Azerbaijani Army is the strongest army in the South Caucasus. By the decree of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev dated May 22, 1998, the day of the creation of a separate Azerbaijani corps, June 26, was declared the Day of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This date is celebrated annually as an official public holiday. Today, the traditions of the Azerbaijani Army, laid down in the times of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, are preserved and developed. This became possible as a result of the efforts of the great leader Heydar Aliyev and is successfully continued by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev."

Ruslan Abayev noted that the world community first saw the strength of the Azerbaijani Army in April 2016, and its power during the 44-day Patriotic War:

"The army, celebrating its 105th anniversary, liberated our lands from occupation. This historic victory was won, first of all, thanks to the will of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev and the courage shown by our army on the battlefield. The Victory Parade held in Baku on December 10, 2020, became a reminder to the enemies and their patrons that the Azerbaijani Army is a strong army."

Military expert, retired colonel Sahib Shahverdiyev noted that Azerbaijan has significantly increased its military potential in recent years; the most modern weapons, machinery and equipment have been brought into the country. According to him, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan are currently among the strongest armies in the world in terms of material and technical equipment and combat capability: "The world witnessed the strength of the Azerbaijani Army in the April battles and during the operation in Gunnut."

Ensign of the Azerbaijani Army Gafar Bahadirov noted that there can be no greater happiness than to return victorious to ancestral lands after 30 years of longing. According to him, the operations carried out on the conditional state border and in the Karabakh economic region after the Patriotic War are a clear example of the professionalism of the Azerbaijani Army:

"There is a saying: when the earth is mixed with water, it makes mud, but when it is mixed with blood, it makes the Motherland. May Allah rest the souls of our martyrs, I wish health to our veterans. We managed to avenge each of our martyrs and the Azerbaijani people. The victory that put an end to the longing for our lands brought us to a significant day when sovereignty was established over all the occupied territories. Now every citizen of Azerbaijan is fully confident that the army will properly protect them from external and other threats."