Azerbaijan (Sapeher Times) Marks the 108th Anniversary of the Establishment of its Armed Forces<\/p>\n
Anastasiya Lavrina
\nResearch Fellow at the Institute for Development and Diplomacy of ADA University, political analyst, member of Youth Union of New Azerbaijan party<\/p>\n
On June 26, Azerbaijan celebrates the 108th anniversary of Armed Forces Day\u2014an occasion that carries profound historical and political significance today. Rather than being a mere date on the calendar, it stands as a symbol of the sovereign state’s might, national cohesion, and the triumphant trajectory of the Azerbaijani Army.
\nThe anniversary of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan dates back to June 26, 1918, when the first regular military unit\u2014the Separate Azerbaijani Corps\u2014was established by a decree of the government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The initial military success was achieved on September 15, 1918, when the National Army, in conjunction with the Islamic Army of the Caucasus under the command of Nuru Pasha, liberated Baku and surrounding districts from Armenian-Bolshevik occupation. Despite the subsequent Soviet period, this historical continuity was officially restored by a decree of President Heydar Aliyev dated May 22, 1998, which established June 26 as the nationwide Armed Forces Day. He designated defense development as a core priority of state policy.
\nThis strategic course was consistently pursued and advanced by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ilham Aliyev. Through comprehensive modernization, the enhancement of defense capabilities, the advancement of military education, the integration of cutting-edge technologies, and the cultivation of a highly professional officer corps, Azerbaijan has forged agile and combat-ready Armed Forces capable of reliably safeguarding the country\u2019s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national interests.
\nIt was precisely this coherent policy that served as a cornerstone for the historic victory in the 44-day Patriotic War. Azerbaijan successfully restored its territorial integrity and subsequently established full state sovereignty over its entire territory. Today, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan act not only as the guarantor of domestic security but also as a critical variable in maintaining regional stability in the South Caucasus.
\nAgainst this backdrop, the official visit to Azerbaijan by the leadership of the National Defence University of Pakistan, alongside the participants and faculty members of the National Security and War Course-26, acquires particular salience. This visit extends far beyond the scope of a routine academic exchange; it underscores the high level of mutual trust between Baku and Islamabad, particularly within the domains of defense, security, and military education.
\nThe bilateral ties between Azerbaijan and Pakistan have long transcended conventional diplomacy. They represent a strategic brotherhood anchored in mutual respect, political solidarity, and aligned geopolitical interests. For decades, Pakistan has consistently championed Azerbaijan\u2019s just position regarding the conflict with Armenia, staunchly defending the country\u2019s territorial integrity and refusing to recognize the occupation of Azerbaijani lands.
\nAzerbaijan, in turn, has reciprocated this solidarity by consistently supporting brotherly Pakistan’s stance on the Jammu and Kashmir issue, advocating for a resolution grounded in the norms of international law and the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. This reciprocal support constitutes the foundational pillar of strategic trust between the two nations.
\nToday, Azerbaijani-Pakistani cooperation is assuming an increasingly pragmatic dimension. It encompasses defense cooperation, military education, joint training programs, defense industries, security, economics, transport logistics, humanitarian ties, and institutional engagement between expert communities.
\nAzerbaijan\u2019s contemporary state-building and military experience holds particular relevance for Pakistan. The country has not only restored its territorial integrity but has also initiated a large-scale socio-economic revitalization of the liberated territories. Today, Garabagh and Eastern Zangezur are transforming into zones of rapid rehabilitation, development, and demographic return. The construction of new urban and rural centers, the implementation of “smart” settlements, and the comprehensive restoration of transport networks, airports, energy, and social infrastructure collectively demonstrate the state\u2019s material capacity and strategic vision.
\nAzerbaijan\u2019s model is equally vital from the perspective of post-conflict resolution and peacebuilding. This dynamic encompasses not merely a conventional military victory, but the state’s capacity to transition liberated lands into areas of sustainable peace, infrastructural rehabilitation, and long-term economic growth. Consequently, allied states, including Pakistan, exhibit a keen analytical interest in this operational template.
\nPakistan, for its part, possesses a powerful military apparatus, an advanced system of military education, and extensive operational experience in managing complex national security challenges. The Armed Forces of Pakistan are widely recognized as one of the most professional and combat-capable militaries within the Islamic world. Thus, institutional cooperation between the defense establishments of Azerbaijan and Pakistan yields significant mutual benefits for both actors.
\nWithin the broader regional architecture, the trilateral Azerbaijan\u2013Pakistan\u2013T\u00fcrkiye framework occupies a pivotal position. This format reflects not only the political alignment of the three brotherly states but also their shared commitment to reinforcing regional security. Joint military exercises, bilateral knowledge transfers, institutional contact between defense ministries, and collaboration in military education demonstrate that this partnership is evolving systematically and cohesively.
\nAzerbaijan, Pakistan, and T\u00fcrkiye are united by a normative commitment to state sovereignty, territorial integrity, and international law. Their trilateral cooperation is not structurally directed against any third parties; rather, it serves to enhance stability, security, and mutual trust across the wider region.
\nThe visit of the delegation from the National Defence University of Pakistan to Azerbaijan on the eve of Armed Forces Day carries deep symbolic resonance. It illustrates that Azerbaijan is recognized internationally as a strong state possessing valuable institutional experience in military doctrine, the restoration of territorial integrity, and post-war reconstruction.
\nJune 26 serves as a perennial reminder that a robust military is the fundamental pillar of a resilient state. Concurrently, the strategic alliance between Azerbaijan and Pakistan remains an essential factor in consolidating security, mutual support, and durable peace within the regional subsystem.
\nUltimately, contemporary Azerbaijani-Pakistani relations cannot be categorized as a standard diplomatic partnership. It is a strategic alliance rooted in profound trust, mutual respect, historical brotherhood, and a structural readiness to support one another at critical junctures of history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Azerbaijan (Sapeher Times) Marks the 108th Anniversary of the Establishment of its Armed Forces Anastasiya Lavrina Research Fellow at the Institute for Development and Diplomacy of ADA University, political analyst, member of Youth Union of New Azerbaijan party On June 26, Azerbaijan celebrates the 108th anniversary of Armed Forces Day\u2014an occasion that carries profound historical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":340919,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-340917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sapeher.dailysapehertimes.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sapeher.dailysapehertimes.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sapeher.dailysapehertimes.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sapeher.dailysapehertimes.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sapeher.dailysapehertimes.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=340917"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sapeher.dailysapehertimes.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":340918,"href":"https:\/\/sapeher.dailysapehertimes.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340917\/revisions\/340918"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sapeher.dailysapehertimes.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/340919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sapeher.dailysapehertimes.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=340917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sapeher.dailysapehertimes.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=340917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sapeher.dailysapehertimes.com.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=340917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}