The Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, which is celebrating its 106th anniversary, has more than a century of experience and combat professionalism. For the first time, the creation of the Azerbaijan National Army was commenced with the decree dated June 26, 1918, and General Samad Bey Mehmandarov was appointed as the head of our first army on December 25. In a short time, the National Army, together with the Caucasian Islamic Army of the Ottoman state, saved Baku and the surrounding areas from the Armenian-Bolshevik occupation.
Finally, Azerbaijan, which fell into the grips of Soviet Bolshevism for almost a century, is regaining its strength. On May 22, 1998, according to the decree of the late President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, National Leader Heydar Aliyev, June 26 was declared the Day of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, which has been among the strongest armies in the South Caucasus since the first day of its establishment, are capable of performing any task at a high level even today.
Certainly, the continuation of the century-long tradition is related to the modern and strong army-building policy of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev.
In the 1990s, the Azerbaijani army plunged into the First Garabagh Battle in a scattered and fragmented form. At that time, although the fighting spirit of the Azerbaijani soldiers was high, the supply of weapons and the discipline in the army were not satisfactory. In order to have a strong army, a powerful and visionary leader was needed.
Armenia was not aware of the potential of the Azerbaijani army, which was able to perfectly reshape itself in 30 years. The Armenian army attacking the Azerbaijani territories in 2020 seems to have not disintegrated from the mood of 30 years ago. The 44-day war and the professionalism and bravery of our Armed Forces in the anti-terror operation taught Armenia a hard lesson.
The behaviour of the Azerbaijani Army in accordance with international humanitarian requirements—in this context, the 44-day war, subsequent operations, and the last anti-terrorist operation—not harming the civilian population and taking necessary steps to protect it, clearly demonstrate its professionalism in a special manner. In many wars today, the brutal treatment of children, the elderly, and civilians, as well as disregard for the principles of war and humanitarian rules, are rampant.
Armenia's missile attacks on the cities of Ganja and Barda in the Second Garabagh War and the killing of civilians was a violation of the international rules of military operations, even worse than a terrorist attack.
When Armenia occupied Garabagh, it held military parades in Khankandi, which is today Azerbaijan, and tried to show off itself as a strong army in the world. However, during the 44-day war, the Armenian military units, who threw down their weapons and ran away from the battlefield, once again demonstrated their policy of invasion.
All this clearly confirms that the Azerbaijani Army is not an army of parades, but a strong, professional army that has a say and has confirmed itself in war and real combat operations.
The Azerbaijan Army sets an example for the whole world, both in terms of conducting military operations and solving humanitarian issues. Today, the Azerbaijani army is one of the armies that has high professionalism in military exercises held within the framework of NATO trainings, Turkic-speaking countries, the Pakistani army, and many other internationally recognised military organisations. It's no secret that our army once served as part of the peacekeeping contingent in Afghanistan and several other countries and has acquired a lot of military professionalism.
Today, the Azerbaijani army is celebrating its 106th anniversary, and on this occasion, the entire Azerbaijani people are deeply grateful to our brave army and its founder, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
Long live the Azerbaijani army! Long live the people of Azerbaijan! And long live the Supreme Commander-in-Chief!
