After gaining independence, Azerbaijan managed to achieve a continuous progress. Azerbaijan, which pursues an independent policy, has chosen the path of development despite international and regional pressures.

In his address before Milli Majlis (Parliament of Azerbaijan), President Ilham Aliyev outlined the future strategies of Azerbaijan, with a particular focus on enhancing military capabilities, fortifying national borders, and mitigating emerging geopolitical threats. These strategic initiatives underscore Azerbaijan's persistent endeavours to adapt to a global milieu characterized, as noted by President Aliyev, by the breakdown of international law and the erosion of the global security framework, necessitating a proactive stance towards national defense and sovereignty.

New realities require new strategies

The head of state emphasized that the military power of Azerbaijan and Armenia is not comparable.

"In the time after the Second Garabagh War, we have significantly increased our military capacity, new armed units have been created and the number of special forces has been increased several times. New special forces and commando units have been set up, and their number will increase year by year," President Aliyev said.

The President also highlighted the rise of revanchist forces in Armenia, both among fringe political groups and the current Armenian leadership, which continues to live in "dreams of revanchism." He remarked, "The countries standing behind Armenia, their activities, their decisions, resolutions, statements - all this shows that this dirty game against us is not over yet." These external forces, he pointed out, have attempted to prevent Azerbaijan from fully reaping the benefits of its post-war victory, "The countries standing behind Armenia, their activities, decisions, resolutions, statements — all this shows that this dirty game against Azerbaijan is not over yet. Foreign circles that cannot digest our Victory are preparing new plans against us."

President Ilham Aliyev laid out a clear strategy for self-sufficiency in military production, stating that Azerbaijan has initiated large-scale modernization in its military industrial complex. "We are conducting modernization work in our military factories and producing new weapons and ammunition," he said, stressing that this strategy reduces dependency on foreign suppliers and enhances Azerbaijan’s capacity to export military products. This move also fosters local innovation, creating thousands of new jobs and boosting the national economy.

Securing Borders and Regional Stability: Azerbaijan’s red line

The security of the state begins far from the borders and becomes a critical line once it reaches the border. It extends inland.

Border protection is crucial for ensuring the integrity and sovereignty of the country. After gaining independence, Azerbaijan focused on reconstructing its border areas. The broken border areas with neighboring countries have been rebuilt, and engineering and technical facilities have been installed. Issues with neighboring Russia, Iran, and Georgia have been resolved through negotiations between relevant institutions. However, there are frequent attempts by illegal drug smugglers from Iran to cross into Azerbaijan. Illegal activities also occur on the borders of Russia and Georgia. This highlights the urgent need to equip the borders with modern infrastructure, especially in the case of Armenia.

The President also addressed the issue of border security, especially along Azerbaijan’s 500-km border with Armenia. He explained the challenges posed by the rugged terrain, stating, "Some of our service areas are located at an altitude of over 3,000 meters. Despite this, our military positions along the border are being reinforced. We are strengthening the conditional border because any provocation can be expected from Armenia at any moment."

Therefore, although keeping the land borders closed currently causes certain difficulties, it is considered a more realistic measure for ensuring internal security because the security of the state and citizens is more important than all other interests.

Addressing Geopolitical Challenges

Current geopolitical profile of the world is indeed miserable. The ongoing situation in the regions such as Middle East, Eastern Europe and even South Caucasus demonstrates how the World system diminished itself from its past "glorfying", less conflictual days. At the core of President Aliyev's vision is the continuous strengthening of Azerbaijan’s military capabilities, driven by the evolving global power dynamics and security threats. As he noted, the collapse of international law and the erosion of post-WWII security architecture have created a world where "might is right." He stated that this principle prevails, and some major states are not even hiding this at all."In fact, we have been conducting a policy in this direction for many years. During the occupation, increasing our military strength was always our primary objective."

For information, note that the likelihood of a new military conflict in the region is significantly increased by the strengthening of the France and India’s strategic partnership with Armenia, under the pretext of which the countries conduct military exercises with Yerevan, thereby raising the level of the Armenian Armed Forces. Of course, Armenia, putting aside its revanchist and expansionist policies, could also seize a unique chance to improve its country's development by signing a peace agreement with Azerbaijan and following Baku's peace agenda. Unfortunately, this is not happening so far. So it is indeed time for Armenia to act, instead of giving false hopes by statements toward peace. So as the head of state emphasized, Armenia should officially end its territorial claims against Azerbaijan and make amendments to its constitution. Cause, Azerbaijan is willing to engage in bilateral cooperation with any country based on mutual respect, although it will not tolerate dictation, accusations, or blackmail.

Nevertheless, Azerbaijan's readiness to neutralize any threats to its sovereignty, serve as a broader strategy of self-reliance and resilience, as the country continues to navigate its way through a complex web of geopolitical threats, both from Armenia and from external powers unhappy with the country’s rising influence.

Strategic Blueprint for the Future: Only way is moving forward!

The main keynotes are clear as the sky above our head. President Ilham Aliyev’s speech presents a clear and coherent strategy for securing Azerbaijan’s future, focusing on strengthening the military, securing its borders, and navigating geopolitical challenges. And ultimately, as the country prepares to host COP29, it also positions itself as a regional leader, not just in terms of military and security, but in areas such as environmental diplomacy and economic growth.

Azerbaijan's commitment to these priorities, as outlined by President Ilham Aliyev, provides a strategy for navigating the complex and often hostile geopolitical landscape, ensuring its sovereignty and security for years to come!