Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum, or “If you want peace, prepare for war”
By Fuad Muxtar-Aqbabali
Since September 6, Baku has been playing host to the grandiose 4th Azerbaijani International Defense Exhibition “ADEX” and the 13th International Exhibition for Internal Security, Safety and Rescue Equipment “Securex Caspian” fair.
The choice of the Latin adage “Si vis pacem, para bellum”, or “If you want peace, prepare for war” as the title of this article is not by chance but to reiterate that the Azerbaijani government, as President Ilham Aliyev keeps repeating, is determined to build modern military forces, armed with the cutting-edge weapons and military hardware to protect the nation at all costs and against all the odds.
Accompanied by his key power-wielding ministers, the architect of the 2020 Karabakh triumph, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev viewed stands with military products of the national military-industrial complex as well as of nations involved in the fair to showcase and promote their outputs. With over 200 companies from around 30 countries in presence, the large-scale event has been featuring modern weaponry and equipment for the first time after the break enforced by the pandemic.
The fair is crucial as it has been organized for the first time after Azerbaijan’s glorious victory in the second Karabakh war. Displayed in the military fair are cutting-edge weapons, showcasing the strength and power of Azerbaijan’s military and industrial complex, which along with military products of Turkish and Israeli military industries played an exceptional role in the nation’s Karabakh victory.
Pride and gratified with the brilliant outcome of his military and clear-cut foreign policies, pivotal in the liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani lands, the Azerbaijani leader proudly reviewed the stands of the national military industry complex.
Light and heavy military equipment manufactured in the country over recent years are on display in the pavilions of the ministry, established and responsible for the creation, production, improvement, repair, disposal, import/export, and sale of defense products, ammunition, armored military equipment and other means intended for the needs of the national security forces. Keeping pace with leading weapons manufacturing nations, Azerbaijan is also making combat reconnaissance equipment, multi-purpose, reconnaissance and strike drones, small arms of various calibers, engineering, and other military equipment.
Azerbaijan is set to further beef up the armed forces and equip it with state-of-the-art weapons, President Ilham Aliyev said in his address to the participants in the fair on September 6.
“In the coming period, we will further strengthen the armed forces and the defense capability of the country, attaching special importance to the production of modern weapons, military equipment, ammunition, rear service property, and other material means," the president said.
Azerbaijan has always attached special importance to increasing the combat capability of its armed forces and strengthening its material and technical infrastructure. In addition to developing cooperation with the world's leading countries in the military-technical sector, Azerbaijan is also expanding its capabilities in the sphere of the national defense industry. Azerbaijan is currently closely cooperating with leading companies from over 50 countries of the world in aviation, navigation, device manufacturing, and other directions. The volume of products manufactured by the country’s defense industry enterprises is increasing by the year, Ilham Aliyev underscored.
The Russian war in Ukraine has deteriorated the overall situation globally and regionally with no sign of the Kremlin stopping the military operations. Coupled with the overall situation in Karabakh, where the Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed, official Baku has to beef up the military might to prevent any attempts of Armenia to undermine the situation and have claims on Azerbaijani lands.
The powerful national army with state-of-the-art weapons and strong allies was and will always remain the guarantor of the nation’s independence and sovereignty and the visionary Azerbaijani leadership is absolutely aware of it and thus born the XXI century army and various military fairs designed to keep abreast of the latest achievements of the global military industries.
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