31-year journey: from restoration to Karabakh’s liberation

Thirty-one years ago, on September 5, 1991, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defence was re-established by the decision of the country’s Supreme Council. Professional military lieutenant-general Valeh Barshadly, the only Azerbaijani who graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces, was appointed the first Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan.

First Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Valeh Bardashly

The first staff of Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry consisted of only 4 people: Barshadly himself, colonels Arif Salahov, Telman Mehdiyev, and Dadash Rzayev. Only on September 28, by the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers, premises were allocated for the ministry in the club named after Dzerzhinsky, however, until mid-October, the military department was stationed in three offices of the Higher Control Inspectorate in the Presidential Administration.

The main problems faced by the Ministry of Defence from the first days were the lack of officers and an acute shortage of weapons, ammunition, and military equipment. Both problems were fundamental for the development of the Armed Forces at a time when the country was face-to-face with aggression by Armenia.

In 1993, national leader Heydar Aliyev returned to power at the request of the people and his return ushered in an all-new stage in the formation of the Azerbaijani army.

Today, the Azerbaijani army is one of the most combat-ready troops in the world and the most powerful in the South Caucasus region. Under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, the Azerbaijani army has achieved its main target - the restoration of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan as a result of the victorious 44-day war with Armenia in 2020.