Azerbaijani defence minister urges preparation of troops for real combat

On March 30, a regular service meeting was held at the Central Command Post under the leadership of Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, the Azerbaijani Defence Minister.

The meeting gathered deputy ministers, commanders of types of troops, heads of main departments, directorates and services of the ministry, the ministry told Caliber.Az.

Commanders of military units and formations were involved in the meeting via video link.

First, the participants of the meeting held a minute's silence to pay tribute to the national leader Heydar Aliyev, the heroes who gave their lives for the territorial integrity of our country and the victims of the March 31 massacre.

Drawing the attention of the participants of the meeting to the tasks set by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev to the Azerbaijan Army, the Defence Minister noted that the statements made by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the combat effectiveness of our army during the Second Karabakh War and the anti-terrorist operation, made by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the congratulatory speech of the head of state in the city of Khankendi on March 18 on the occasion of the Novruz holiday, are an indicator of high esteem of the Azerbaijani army.

During the meeting, the current operational situation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian conditional border was reviewed, and tasks were set to maintain high levels of combat readiness of military units and to improve their service and combat activity. The Defence Minister emphasized the importance of further increasing the intensity of exercises and practical training conducted in conditions close to real combat and with the use of modern weapons, equipment, and other combat means.

Zakir Hasanov also stressed the importance of prioritising the health of the personnel. He gave instructions regarding the process of adaptation of recruits called up for fixed-term active military service by presidential decree from April 1 to 30, 2024, and the systematic graduation of servicemen who have completed their fixed-term service.

The meeting also highlighted the continuous work being done to improve the social and living conditions of servicemen and the provision of housing to servicemen who have served 20 or more calendar years with impeccable service. The meeting also stressed the importance of studying the safety regulations during their everyday work and of taking into account the climate conditions when using weapons, combat and special equipment.

The Defence Minister set specific tasks before the officials related to ensuring a high level of organisation of military service, ideological work, further improvement of social and living conditions of servicemen, and taking measures on engineering and medical support.

In conclusion, Zakir Hasanov gave instructions on holding commemorative and educational events in connection with March 31 - the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis.