Ambassador of Republic of Azerbaijan H.E Khazar Farhadov has said that Azerbaijan and Pakistan’s bilateral relations are at a high level in all fields, including military and defense cooperation. He said this in his welcome address to the participants of a reception in connection with the celebration of 105th anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijan Armed Forces in Islamabad on 20th June 2023.
Republic of Azerbaijan celebrates the day at the end of June every year paying homage to the martyrs of the motherland and constructor of the Armed Forces, National Leader Hayder Aliyev. Mr. & Mrs Khazar Farhadov the Ambassador , Mr. & Mrs. Mehmon Novruzov the Defense Attache hosted the reception at Marriotte hotels in which both officials remembered the sacrifices of the Armed Forces in the defense of the homeland and in the liberation of illegally occupied territories of Karabakh. Both officials spoke highly about relations and cooperation with Pakistan.
Air Marshal Irfan Ahmad, SI (M), Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Project) graced the reception as chief guest. A large number of other military and government officials of Pakistan, Ambassadors and defense attaches of many countries including Central Asian Republic of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkiye were also present.
A band of Pakistan Military also decorated the event with their glowing uniforms and smart music apparatus. The band played the tunes based on patriotism enthralling the audience with warm feelings for both brotherly countries. Here it is worth noting that Azerbaijan military contingent has been participating in the parade of Pakistan Day for last many years to express solidarity with Pakistan.
Historically, Azerbaijan is the first Muslim Democracy established in 1918 as Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The first regular military unit, the Combined Azerbaijan Corps was created on June 26, 1918 by the decision of the Council of Ministers of the The task of creating an army of 25 thousand people.On August 1, 1918, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan was established. The democratic could work for about 2 years when it was occupied by the Red Army in April 1920.But this occupation could never finish the urge of the people to restore their state. The state was established again in 1991 when Azerbaijan restored independence. In the same year, the modern National Army came into existence thanks to the vision and leadership of President Heydar Aliyev.
Ambassador, in his keynote address shared the history of the republic and the armed forces. He also highlighted the importance of the recent visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Baku and meeting with President Ilham Aliyev.
“I want to especially highlight the recent visit of the Prime Minister of Pakistan to Azerbaijan which will be always remembered as a very successful visit. A broad range of issues of bilateral agenda, including trade and investment, energy cooperation, defense industry, increasing of direct flights, and other important issues was discussed. All those projects which will further deepen our ties will be implemented very soon, Ambassador noted.
Mr. Khazar Farhadov appreciated the valor of the armed forces saying “Undoubtedly, the peak of the warpath of our National Army during this period is the glorious Victory gained in the Patriotic War – Karabakh Victory. There has been no similar Victory in the centuries-old history of our nation. However, those who led our country in the first phase of independence could not cope with the important and responsible task of army building at that time when Armenia occupied our lands. The encroachment of the enemy on our lands was expanding more and more. Azerbaijan faced the threat of losing its independence. At such a difficult time, the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev, who returned to power at the request of the people, eliminated chaos and anarchy, economic and political difficulties in the country and started the process of building a regular army.”
“After the National Leader’s return to power, our army and people had a firm belief in Victory. At the call of Heydar Aliyev, a large-scale mobilization was held, and military units were fully equipped in the country. The process of army building in Azerbaijan entered a qualitatively new stage under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev. Thanks to his great attention, who successfully continued the army-building policy, continuous steps were taken in the direction of increasing the professionalism of the military, increasing the fighting spirit and moral-psychological training of the personnel, and supplying our Armed Forces with the most modern weapons and equipment, Ambassador shared.
H.E added, “The 44 days Patriotic War of 2020 which resulted in the liberation of our territories from Armenian occupation by the brave Azerbaijani Army under the leadership of Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev was written in golden letters in our history. It is no coincidence that the military operations of the Azerbaijani Army, especially the Shusha operation are studied in the leading military schools of the world today.”
At the conclusion of his speech, the Ambassador mentioned that over the past 30 years, mutual visits between Azerbaijan and Pakistan have been carried out in the military and military-technical fields. He expressed confidence that these ties will be further strengthened and deepened.
Defense Attache, Colonel Mehman Novruzov also addressed the guests. He said that the people of Azerbaijan have for centuries fought for liberty and statehood along its ancient history. Because of rich natural resources and strategic location, our motherland has always undergone pressures and military aggression by strong states.
He shed light on the history and shared, “After collapse of the czarist Russia, the first democratic republic in the East – the People’s Republic of Azerbaijan was created in 1918. During its 23 months of existence, the Republic founded all attributes of independent state, including the national army. Fighting the occupant policy of Armenians and Bolsheviks, the government of Azerbaijan made a decision on creation of the military corps with the status of division on 26th June 1918, and thus cornerstone of the national army was laid. The national army units – one of the most important attributes of independence were abolished after occupation of Azerbaijan by the Red Army on 28th April 1920.”
“Nevertheless, being part of Soviet Union, people of Azerbaijan continued to demonstrate its military spirit and traditions. Devoted to its rich military and historical traditions, the people of Azerbaijan showed real heroism in the World War II. Azerbaijan divisions traversed a glorious path of battle from Caucasus to Berlin, Colonel Mehman added.
Defense Attache recalled the efforts of National Leader , “During the leadership of the national leader – Heydar Aliyev, training of national officers and formation of army were high priority. In 1971, due to big efforts of Heydar Aliyev, secondary military education institute, the military lyceum named after prominent commander – Major General Jamshid Nakhchyvanski was established in Baku. At the time, Azerbaijan used to send about 60.000 youth to the Soviet Army, yearly. Therefore, opening of such military school in Baku had a huge significance in promoting military spirit of the people of Azerbaijan.”
“Heydar Aliyev achieved admission of Azerbaijani youth to the Baku Army and Naval Academies, as well as other military academies in the former USSR on preferential terms. So, 20 years before gaining independence of Azerbaijan, national leader Heydar Aliyev provided high-level military training basis for the nation. After the independence was regained on 18 October 1991, these military education institutions served as main basis for the formation of the Azerbaijan Armed Forces, Colonel continued.
After regaining independence, all state attributes of Azerbaijan, including Armed Forces were restored and on May 22, 1998, with the presidential decree, June 26 was declared as the Day of Azerbaijan Armed Forces. Since its establishment on 26 June 1918, the Azerbaijan Armed Forces have faced many security challenges and demonstrated remarkable resilience, unwavering dedication, and a strong commitment to safeguarding security and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
Colonel Mehman said, “The turning point in the history of Azerbaijan Armed Forces came in 2020 during the 44-Day Patriotic War of Azerbaijan. In response to Armenian provocations, Azerbaijan launched a successful counteroffensive military campaign to retake its 20% territories, which had been under Armenian occupation for almost 30 years. The Azerbaijan Armed Forces carried out the war of the 21st century and destroyed the Armenian fascism on the battlefield, thus demonstrated the strength, determination and professionalism of the Azerbaijan Armed Forces.”
The counteroffensive operation of Azerbaijan Army with the later adopted “Iron Fist” code name, made the aggressor state of Armenia, to admit its unconditional capitulation in 44 days. Azerbaijan managed to fulfill the requirements of the international law, implement on the battlefield the 4 UN Security Council resolutions that remained on paper for 27 years.
The Defense Attache, as colleague of the martyrs remembered their sacrifices made by all our martyrs and war veterans, who demonstrated unwavering courage, determination, and resilience in ending the 30-year long conflict and restoring and defending Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
He said that the sacrifices of fallen heroes will forever be honored by nation and future generations. May their souls rest in eternal peace, and may their sacrifice inspire us to strive for a better tomorrow.
“Since the end of the 44-Day Patriotic War, under the supervision of the Supreme Commander in Chief, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan Armed Forces have been undergoing significant transformation, which includes implementation of reforms based on the outcomes of comprehensive analysis of the 44-Day Patriotic War, Colonel Mehman added.
He further said, “Today, we can firmly state that Azerbaijan, under the visionary leadership of the Supreme Commander in Chief, the president of Azerbaijan, has built capable and professional Armed Forces, which are not only ready to defend Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and address country’s potential security challenges, but also make significant contributions to regional and global peace and security.”
Colonel Mehman mentioned especially the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Pakistan in defense, defense production and training sectors. He said, ” Both countries enjoy strategic partnership relations which also cover the cooperation in the defense and security fields.The Azerbaijan-Pakistan military cooperation has been built on the foundations of brotherhood, shared values, and common objectives. The exchange of high-level military visits, participation in training programs, conducting joint exercises, as well as growing military technical cooperation have further deepened the military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Pakistan. This collaboration has served to enhance the capabilities and professionalism of both our armed forces, enabling us to face emerging security challenges effectively.”
In 2021, Azerbaijan hosted joint special forces exercise under the code name “Three Brothers”, which included participation of special forces of Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Türkiye. The aim of such exercises is to enhance joint operational readiness of our armies, improve their level of interoperability and enable our countries to jointly address all kinds of regional security challenges.We are planning to continue conducting more combined joint military exercises in multilateral formats.
He expressed his sincere gratitude to the leadership of the Pakistan Army for their gracious support and cooperation, as well as for making reception even more memorable for endorsing the idea of having a live performance by the renowned Pakistan Army Band, which will elevate the ambiance of this event.
Report -Tazeen Akhtar / Pics -Asif Farooq
