Day of Armed Forces celebrated in Rome
By Sara Rajabova
The 96th anniversary of the establishment of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan has been marked in Rome.
Azerbaijan's Embassy in Rome has arranged an event to celebrate the Day of Armed Forces, AzerTag news agency reported.
The event was attended by generals, admirals and officers of the Italian Defense Ministry and Armed Forces, foreign military attaches and representatives of the diplomatic corps.
Azerbaijani Military Attaché in Italy Anvar Ibrahimov provided an insight into the history of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.
He also highlighted recent military reforms and army building process in the country, as well as the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which emerged in 1988 over Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
The ceremony featured demonstration of a promotional video about the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.
The history of the modern Azerbaijani army dates back to the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in the early 20th century. The Armed Forces of the Azerbaijan Republic were created on June 26, 1918 to protect the country from the military aggressions of Armenia and Russia.
Day of the Armed Forces is annually celebrated on June 26 in Azerbaijan, in accordance with a relevant decree issued by the former President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev.
The Azerbaijani army is professional and the most powerful army in the South Caucasus region. The skills and combat readiness of the Azerbaijani army are growing year on year. The army building process in Azerbaijan is progressing as well.