Azerbaijan, Baku, July 19 / Trend /
The recent military parade has showed the power of the Azerbaijani army, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said. The Head of State said it making an opening speech at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on Thursday, dedicated to the socio-economic development in the first half of 2013 and the upcoming challenges.
"The weapons, ammunition and military equipment demonstrated at the parade are the latest models and the most powerful technique," the president said. "Helicopters, tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, air defense installation, other techniques have shown once again that the Azerbaijani army is one of the strongest armies in the world."
"The military parade was a report on the recent work conducted in the field of army building," he added. "Of course, I know that the Azerbaijani people were watching this parade with great interest and felt a sense of pride that the country has such a strong potential and a strong army. At the same time, the parade has caused great concern in Armenia. I know that hysteria, panic and fear experienced there after the parade has not disappeared until now. And this is natural, as the enemy saw Azerbaijan's power with its own eyes and once again understood that the country is ready for any option. By using the acquired technique, the country is able to destroy any enemy. As I said at the parade, we can speak with the enemy in any language. Along with all the political and diplomatic efforts, the country's military power will play a key role in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict."
"Azerbaijan will continue building up its military power and buying the most modern equipment," he stressed. "As you know, the country has no problem with the purchase of this equipment. We buy the technique from different countries and at the same time produce it in Azerbaijan. The number of the countries willing to cooperate with Azerbaijan in the military sphere is increasing. The figures are indicated in the press that Azerbaijan has purchased weapons worth $1 billion from some countries and worth $1.6 billion from other countries. I can say that these figures do not reflect the reality. Actually, the country's military-technical cooperation is measured in figures, which greatly exceed the cited figures. We do not publicize the figures. We only comment on reports that appear from time to time in the foreign press. But we can make public all information, as the country's state budget is transparent and all our expenses are visible."
"The Armenian people must not be afraid of this," he stressed. "The Armenian people must fear their leadership, its activity, as well as bloodthirsty, insatiable, and mired in corruption criminal authorities that have plunged them into the current situation. As a result of these authorities' activity, about 100,000 Armenians leave their country forever every year. If this situation continues, there will be at least one million people in 5-6 years. The blame for this falls on the Armenian leadership as its aggressive and destructive policy, bloodthirsty and greedy nature has led Armenia to such a catastrophe. But our country is confidently moving forward. Azerbaijan is a strong country. Our country's strength will gradually increase. We must work harder to increase this strength."
It should be stressed that over 5,000 personnel belonging to various military units of the armed forces, up to 300 units of military equipment and weapons systems, more than 100 combat aircraft and helicopters and over 40 warships were involved in the military parade, which was held on June 26 to mark the 95th anniversary of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan.