Azerbaijani soldiers bravely stand in guard of homeland

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

A high morale, sense of patriotism and psychological readiness of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces give ground for the liberation of Khankendi, Shusha, Lachin and other occupied native lands and ensuring the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov made the remark while delivering congratulations to the personnel of the armed forces on the occasion of December 31- Solidarity Day of World Azerbaijanis and New Year.

Summarizing the achievements of the country in 2015, the minister noted that the year was full of significant events for the Azerbaijani people and state, as well as its armed forces.

“Under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Ilham Aliyev, the logistics of the Army reached the highest level, social problems of the military personnel were consecutively solved, the army was provided with sophisticated weapons and equipment, while training of highly qualified specialists successfully continues,” Hasanov said.

Today, the Azerbaijani Army is one of the strongest, most highly-disciplined armies in the world and the leading in the region. It is equipped with new high-quality weapons made by domestic and foreign military-industrial systems.

The development of the military is under special focus in Azerbaijan, a country that remains in a state of war with Armenia.

Azerbaijan's military expenditure has increased rapidly in recent years. Azerbaijan’s military budget for 2015 was $5 billion, which is considerably more than previous year's $3.8 billion in military expenditures. The country's military budget exceeds the overall state budget of occupant Armenia by $2 billion.

Hasanov further spoke about the large-scale command and staff exercises held in 2015, saying that the exercises once again demonstrated the power of the Azerbaijani Army and played an important role in the improvement of combat experience of the servicemen and retired military personnel.

He also spoke about continues ceasefire violations on the contact line of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops.

“The ceasefire regime is being violated along the Armenia - Azerbaijan border on a daily basis. Our positions come under intensive fire. Nevertheless, Azerbaijani soldiers stand vigilant and brave on guard of the homeland. The army is responding to the enemy with deserved retaliatory fire, detecting their sabotage attempts beforehand, and inflicting serious losses on their manpower and combat equipment,” Hasanov said.

The minister stressed that the service of Azerbaijani soldiers has always been appreciated by the country’s leadership, adding that the relationship between the army and the people are getting stronger, and the people’s confidence in the army growing.

He wished 2016 to be the year of victory and Karabakh’s liberation from Armenian occupation.

Standing strong against Armenia's unceasing operations along the line of contact, the Azerbaijani leadership empowers the military and has moved to formulate the necessary armament policy by adhering to international requirements.

Azerbaijan's military build-up is in line with the country's legal right to liberate its occupied lands by means of war, should it be necessary.

Azerbaijan's internationally recognized Nagorno-Karabakh territory turned into a conflict zone following Armenia's aggression in the early 1990s. As a result of an armed invasion, 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory fell under Armenian occupation. Nonetheless, the OSCE has attempted to foster a peaceful resolution to this conflict amid Armenia's persistent derailment.