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Azerbaijan held a military parade on December 10 to celebrate its victory in the 44-day-war with Armenia, also known as the Patriotic War.

The Victory Parade held on Freedom Square in central Baku, was attended by over 3,000 personnel, about 150 units of combat, including modern military equipment, rocket and artillery installations, air defense systems. Demonstration of warships and boats was also part of the parade.

Addressing the nation before the parade, President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan won a brilliant victory in the Nagorno-Karabakh war and restored the justice and international law by ending the occupation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also attended the parade.

"In forty-four days, Azerbaijan won a brilliant victory and defeated Armenia. Azerbaijan has ended the occupation. Every single day of these 44 days is our glorious history. The Azerbaijani Army advanced every day, liberated new cities, villages, settlements and heights every day. Azerbaijani soldiers and Azerbaijani officers were fighting for one goal – to put an end to this occupation, to this injustice, to celebrate a victory of historical justice, and we have succeeded,” Aliyev said.

The president underlined exceptional importance of the parade held on December 10.

"There have been many parades at Azadlig Square, but this parade is of particular importance. This is the Victory Parade. This is a historic event. In one of the parades, I said that the flag raised in Lalatapa in 2016 would be brought to the parade. I said that the day would come when the Azerbaijani flag raised in the liberated lands would be brought to Azadlig Square, and this day has arrived. We, the people of Azerbaijan, are witnessing this historic day. From now on, we will only move forward," he said.

He described Azerbaijan's victory in the 44-day war over the Armenian armed forces as historic.

"This is a historic victory. The people of Azerbaijan have been waiting for this day for about 30 years, waiting for the order of the Commander-in-Chief for about 30 years.”

Aliyev pledged that if Armenian fascism manifests itself again, it will be faced with Azerbaijan's “iron fist” again.

In his speech, Aliyev touched on Armenia's war crimes against Azerbaijani civilians during the war between September 27 and November 10.

Attacks on Azerbaijani civilians

"I want to highlight the heroism of the Azerbaijani people again. Defeated on the battlefield, the enemy committed war crimes against the civilian population and fired at our cities with ballistic missiles, phosphorus bombs and cluster munitions. As a result of this cowardly shelling, about 100 civilians, including children and women, have been killed. More than 400 civilians have been injured, more than 5,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged. However, Azerbaijani citizens did not take a single step back from their land. They said that they would rather die than retreat, that they would go all the way to the end," the head of state said.

Aliyev stressed the presence of over 10,000 deserters in the Armenian army.

"There was not a single deserter in the Azerbaijani Army. Our wounded soldiers and officers were asking doctors in military hospitals and clinics to heal them as soon as possible, that they must return to the battlefield and complete their mission. The people of Azerbaijan have shown their greatness, their high moral spirit. The very cause of this victory is the Azerbaijani people. We have fulfilled our historic mission by showing unity, resolve, determination and national spirit," he added.

Aliyev reiterated that the liberated territories will be restored and life will return there.

The president recalled Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statement made a year ago

"Together we will rebuild our cities and villages destroyed by the enemy. We have the resolve and the opportunities to do so... Everyone knows that the Armenian leadership said a year ago that “Karabakh is Armenia and full stop”. I said, “Karabakh is Azerbaijan and exclamation mark”. Today, the whole world sees that Karabakh is Azerbaijan! Karabakh is ours! Karabakh is Azerbaijan! Long live the Azerbaijani Army! Long live Turkish-Azerbaijani friendship and brotherhood! Long live Azerbaijani soldiers!" he said.

Aliyev hailed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s participation in the parade as well as the presence of Turkish soldiers and officers, saying that “this once again demonstrates our unity, friendship and brotherhood.”

He underlined Turkey's moral and political support to Azerbaijan from the first days of the war.

"From the first days of the Patriotic War, or rather from the first hours, we have felt the support of Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has supported Azerbaijan's just cause from the first hours. His open, unequivocal and harsh statements made the Azerbaijani people very happy. My brother said that Azerbaijan was right in this war! He said that Azerbaijan was not alone and Turkey was always with Azerbaijan. This is a manifestation of our unity and brotherhood. Turkey's political and moral support for Azerbaijan makes every Azerbaijani citizen proud and happy, and today, when we participate in the Victory Parade together, we once again show our unity to our peoples and indeed to the whole world," Aliyev said.

He reiterated that Azerbaijani territories have been under occupation for about 30 years.

"In the early 1990s, Armenia's policy of aggression against Azerbaijan led to the occupation of our lands. In fact, Armenia's aggressive policy began in the late 1980s. At that time, 100,000 Azerbaijanis living in the present-day Republic of Armenia were expelled from their ancestral lands. Zangazur, Goycha and Iravan districts are our historical lands. Our people have lived in these lands for centuries, but the Armenian leadership expelled 100,000 Azerbaijanis from their native lands at the time. After that, the same situation was observed in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian side used force to commit a war crime against the civilian population of Azerbaijan, perpetrated the Khojaly genocide. Then, in May 1992, the occupation of Shusha and Lachin created a geographical link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. The occupation of Kalbajar district in April 1993 aggravated the situation and, in fact, led to the continuation of the policy of subsequent occupation.”

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