BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 26. On the occasion of 26 June – Armed Forces Day and the 108th anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijan Army, servicemen’s marches accompanied by military orchestra were organized along designated routes on various streets and avenues of the capital, as well as in the cities of Nakhchivan, Sumgayit, Ganja, Barda, Khankendi, Lachin, and Shusha.
This was announced in a report published by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan.
Prior to the marches, the memory of the National Leader, Heydar Aliyev, and Martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the Motherland was honored with a minute of silence.
The National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan was performed.
Patriotic songs performed by military orchestras and the marches accompanied by military songs led to great interest and applause by onlookers.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan began celebrating Armed Forces Day on May 22, 1998, when National Leader, President Heydar Aliyev issued Decree No. 707, officially declaring June 26 as an annual public holiday. The holiday commemorates the historical founding of the country's first regular military unit, the Separate Corps, which was established by the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic on June 26, 1918.
