Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Thursday that the nation must be ready for war at all times, emphasizing that national security is based on the strength of the state, its people and its army.
"Our armed forces stand guard over the interests and security of our state every minute, every day. "We are monitoring and will continue to monitor possible sources of threat," Aliyev said during a visit to the Kalbajar region.
He said Azerbaijan had expanded its military capabilities since the second Karabakh war in 2020, increasing the number of special forces by thousands and creating new commando units.
Modern drones, artillery systems and fully modernized combat aircraft have been added to the arsenal, and contracts for new fighter jets have also been signed, he added.
"We must always be ready for war, because the course of global events makes it impossible to predict what will happen tomorrow," Aliyev said.
"If someone thinks of carrying out a provocation against Azerbaijan, they will regret it again. From now on, we will live as a victorious people and a victorious state."
Aliyev also highlighted progress in regional connectivity, saying that one of the transport corridors would pass through Armenia, connecting Azerbaijan with its enclave of Nakhchivan.
"Our position has always been taken as a basis when drafting the peace treaty with Armenia," he noted. "Armenia has already undertaken this obligation, and I hope that in the coming years we will be able to travel by train and car from the main part of Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan."
He said that the route would not only connect the territories of Azerbaijan, but also serve as an international transport corridor. "The construction of the railway to Zangilan is progressing successfully and will probably be completed next year. Armenia has also taken on this obligation, which is another historic achievement for us."
Azerbaijan and Armenia recently signed a joint declaration at a trilateral summit at the White House with US President Donald Trump, aimed at ending decades of conflict, with commitments to cease hostilities, open transport routes and normalise relations.
Relations between Baku and Yerevan have been strained since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, and seven neighbouring regions, including Lachin.
Most of the territory was liberated from Azerbaijan during a 44-day war in the autumn of 2020, which ended after a peace agreement brokered by Russia opened the door to talks to normalise and demarcate their border.
After a series of slow-moving talks, Azerbaijan sent troops last September and quickly retook Karabakh, whose entire population of nearly 120,000 returned to Armenia after rejecting a reintegration program proposed by Baku.
Earlier in 2024, Armenia withdrew from several Azerbaijani villages it had controlled since the early 1990s as part of the peace process.