Army

Army

97 years pass since building of Azerbaijani Army

25 June 2015 21:00 (UTC +04:00)

According to the decision by the government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the first military unit – special corps was founded on 26 June 1918, and army draft decree was issued following it.

The defense ministry was established on August 1, 1918. Khosrov Bey Sultanov was appointed the defense minister. He was replaced in this post by professional army officer, General Samad Bey Mehmandarov on December 25, 1918. Lieutenant-General Aliaga Shikhlinski was appointed the deputy minister and Habib Bey Selimov – the chief of general staff.

An army with 30000 troops was formed in a short time. The National Army together with the Ottoman Empire’s Caucasian Islamic Army liberated Baku from the Armenian-Bolshevik occupation on September 15, 1918 and on September 17, the national government of Azerbaijan moved from Ganja to Baku.

All of these achievements were reached thanks to the contributions of army’s high-ranking officers - Huseyn Khan Nakhchivanski, Ibrahim Agha Usubov, Hamid Gaytabashy, Kazim Gajar, Javad Bey Shikhlinski, Habib bey Selimov and others. After the occupation of Azerbaijan by Bolshevik Russia and fall of the Democratic Republic in April 1920, the Bolshevik government abolished the National Army. 15 of the 21 army generals were shot dead by the Bolsheviks and most of the commanders faced with repressions.

71 years later, Azerbaijan restored its state independence, the defense ministry was established on September 5, 1991, and General Valeh Barshadli was appointed to the post of the defense minister. On October 9, 1991, the Azerbaijani parliament passed a decision to establish the Armed Forces. Therefore, the Day of Azerbaijani Army has been celebrated on October 9 till 1998. First military parade was held in Azadlig Square of Baku on October 9, 1992 under the President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Abulfaz Elchibey.

Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev issued a decree on May 22, 1998 to declare June 26 – the day of creating first military unit of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic – as the Day of Armed Forces of Azerbaijan. The second military parade in Azerbaijan took place on June 26, 2008 under the President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev. The third military parade on the occasion of the Day of Armed Forces of Azerbaijan took place in Baku on June 26, 2011 and the fourth one on June 26, 2013.