Celebrating the 106th anniversary of the creation of the Azerbaijani army
Celebrating the 106th anniversary of the creation of the Azerbaijani army
Azerbaijan celebrates the Day of the Armed Forces and the 106th anniversary of the creation of the army.
Established on May 28, 1918, at the expense of Ottoman officers in Azerbaijan, which declared its independence on May 28, 1918, today the army is one of the strongest in the region thanks to cooperation with the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).
The Azerbaijani army, which showed its might in the 44-day Karabakh war on September 27 - November 10, 2020, celebrates the anniversary of its creation not with bitterness of defeat and 4-year occupation, but with pride of liberation of its lands from occupation and victory.
The Azerbaijani army was formed by decision of the government on June 26, 1918, from Azerbaijani officers who had previously served in the army of tsarist Russia.
In Batumi, the Azerbaijani government signed the first agreement with the Ottoman Empire. On the basis of article 4 of the treaty, Azerbaijani officials appealed to the Ottoman Empire for military assistance. Enver Pasha, the Minister of War of that time, formed an army under the command of his brother Nuri Pasha (Killigil) and was tasked with liberating Baku and other provinces of Azerbaijan from Armenian and Bolshevik gangs.
The Ottoman army, dubbed the "Caucasian Islamic Army", liberated Baku together with the Azerbaijani army on September 15, 1918.
When the Ottoman Empire was defeated in World War I, the Caucasian Islamic Army was forced to leave Azerbaijan, but some officers of the Caucasian Islamic Army remained in the country to train the Azerbaijani army.
The Republic of Azerbaijan ceased to exist on April 28, 1920, when the Soviet army invaded the country and the national army was dissolved. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Azerbaijan regained its independence and the army was recreated.
Turkey was the first country to recognize Azerbaijan, and Turkey supported Azerbaijan in the military field, as in all other fields. Since 1992, about 100 agreements and protocols related to military issues have been signed between the two countries.
In accordance with the agreements, Turkey provided assistance to Azerbaijan in the development of the defense industry and the training of military specialists. A large number of Azerbaijanis studied in Turkish military schools, and the Azerbaijani Military Academy became an educational institution providing education according to NATO standards at the expense of Turkey.
In accordance with the memorandum signed in 2013, the two countries began conducting joint shooting exercises every year. In addition to the bilateral exercises, trilateral exercises were held with the participation of Georgia and Pakistan.
The annual TurAz Eagle and TurAz Hawk exercises have strengthened coordination and cooperation between the air forces of the two countries.
During this process, cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan in the field of defense industry also developed. Azerbaijan, which had mainly Russian-made weapons and military equipment, increased its combat power through purchases of weapons and ammunition produced by Turkish defense companies.
The 30-year occupation ended in 44 days
In the operation launched on September 27, 2020, the Azerbaijani army transferred the experience gained during long-term exercises to real combat operations.
During the 44-day war, the Azerbaijani army liberated 5 city centers, 4 villages and 286 villages. After that, Armenia admitted defeat.
Bayraktar TB2 UAVs, which Azerbaijan acquired from Turkey, were actively used in the war. Many tanks, armored vehicles and firing points of Armenia were destroyed with high precision by UCAV. The material value of Armenian tanks, armored vehicles and missiles destroyed only by Turkish UCS exceeded $ 1 billion.
The Azerbaijani army has been restructured in accordance with the model of the Turkish armed forces
After the 2nd Karabakh War, the restructuring of the Azerbaijani army began on the model of the Turkish armed forces, and commando brigades were created.
The Blue Beret commandos, most of whom are trained in Turkey and trained to standards that allow them to operate in any conditions, are known as one of the elements of deterrence of the Azerbaijani army and the new government.
The evidence of the success of the commandos was the operation launched on September 12, 2022 after a provocation by the Armenian army.
In a short period of time, special forces units took control of all strategic heights and dominant points on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Thanks to the 24-hour operation, Azerbaijan's sovereignty in Karabakh was fully restored
On September 19, 2023, the Azerbaijani army launched an "anti-terrorist operation" with the aim of destroying the armed formations of the so-called Armenian regime in Karabakh and restoring constitutional order in the region.
During the operation, which lasted about 24 hours, Armenian armed formations and illegal armed formations in Karabakh laid down their weapons. The Armenian forces, which abandoned their positions and retreated, handed over their weapons to the Azerbaijani army. The so-called Armenian regime self-destructed, and thus the sovereignty of Azerbaijan in Karabakh was fully established.