The 108th anniversary of the creation of the Armed Forces is being celebrated in Azerbaijan

June 26, 2026 marks the 108th anniversary of the establishment of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan.

On June 26, 1918, by a decree of the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), the first regular military unit was established - the Separate Azerbaijani Corps. The Declaration of Independence, adopted on May 28 of that year, stated that Azerbaijan must have a regular army and create its own Armed Forces to protect against foreign intervention and neutralize internal hostile forces. The government set the task of creating an army of 25,000 personnel. On August 1, the Military Ministry of Azerbaijan was established, and Khosrov bey Sultanov was appointed the first Minister of Defense.

The first military parade in Azerbaijan took place in 1919 in Baku on the territory of the present-day Museum Center. In a short time, the National Army, together with the Caucasian Islamic Army, managed to liberate Baku and the surrounding areas from Armenian-Bolshevik occupation. After the Soviet occupation of Azerbaijan in 1920, the Military Ministry was abolished, and 15 army generals were executed by the Bolsheviks.

After the restoration of state independence in 1991, a decision was made to establish the Azerbaijani army. According to the decree of the national leader Heydar Aliyev dated May 22, 1998, June 26 was declared Armed Forces Day.

On June 26, 2011, a military parade of the modern Azerbaijani army was held in Baku on the occasion of Armed Forces Day and the 20th anniversary of the restoration of independence, with the participation of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Ilham Aliyev.

In 2013, the military parade was dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the establishment of the Armed Forces, and in 2018 it was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijani army.

In recent years, significant financial resources have been allocated to the development of the army in Azerbaijan and equipping it with the most modern weaponry. Currently, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan are considered the most powerful in the South Caucasus region.

The Azerbaijani army proved its strength in April 2016. On April 2, in response to enemy provocations, the Azerbaijani army launched a lightning counteroffensive and inflicted a heavy defeat on the enemy, liberating more than 2,000 hectares of occupied territories in the Fizuli, Jabrayil, and Agdere districts. Thousands more hectares came under the full control of the Azerbaijani army, which managed to give our people the joy of victory.

One of the most important results of this military operation, which the Azerbaijani army carried out with honor thanks to the constant oversight, attention, and care of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, as well as the correct actions of the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, was the significant superiority of our armed forces over the Armenian forces in terms of morale and psychological readiness, fighting spirit, social solidarity, technical support, weaponry, and professionalism, and the enemy's full awareness of this superiority. Armenian society clearly