BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 30. Today, our army is even stronger and more powerful than during the war, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev said making a speech during his visit to a military unit of the Special Forces of the Defense Ministry as the Special Forces mark the 23rd anniversary of its establishment, Trend reports.
"The situation in our region is completely different now. We are multiplying our strength as a victorious nation and as a victorious country. All instructions on the future activities of special forces have been issued. I was in this military unit a year before the war and met with special forces. It is a great honor for me to be with you today, on this holiday. I am proud of you. All the people of Azerbaijan are proud of you. Armenia, the Armenian armed forces begin to tremble on hearing of Azerbaijan’s special forces. This have not got and never will get rid of this fear. We do not want war. We have achieved what we wanted. We have restored historical justice. We have honorably fulfilled our duty to the people, to history and to future generations. But we must always be alert. Because revanchist forces are still raising their heads in Armenia. There are still those in Armenia who make territorial claims against Azerbaijan. We must always keep it in the spotlight and must not be indifferent to that. This is why additional funds were allocated for army building after the second Karabakh war. As has been the case since 2004 to date this year, military expenditure is and will be number one expenditure, including increasing the number of special forces, which is already a reality. I do not want to say anything about the numbers now, but I can say that after the second Karabakh war, the number of special forces has been doubled. The process of selection is now even tougher and the interest is greater. There are many applications. Moral and psychological qualities, physical training, professionalism and, most importantly, love of the homeland are the main conditions for being selected.
Reforms are underway in other armed forces as well. New military units capable of conducting special operations are being established, and the Azerbaijani Army is becoming even stronger. Today, our army is even stronger and more powerful than during the war," the head of state said.