Baku Victory Parade of 2020

Baku Victory Parade
Azerbaijani Sukhoi Su-25 planes during the parade.
Native name Zəfər paradı
Date10 December 2020 (2020-12-10)
Time13:00
LocationAzadliq Square, Baku, Azerbaijan
TypeMilitary parade
CauseAzerbaijani victory in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war
Organised byAzerbaijani Ministry of Defence
Participants

2020 Baku Victory Parade (Azerbaijani: Zəfər paradı) was held on 10 December, in Azadliq Square, Baku, capital of Azerbaijan. It was held in honor of the Azerbaijani victory during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war,[1] officially described as the Patriotic War in Azerbaijan.[2] The parade was held with 3,000 military servicemen who distinguished themselves during the war marched alongside military equipment, unmanned aerial vehicles and aircraft,[3] as well as Armenian war trophies,[1] and Turkish soldiers and officers,[4] while navy vessels performed maneuvers in the nearby Bay of Baku, and jets and helicopters flew above the city.[5][6] Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a key ally of Azerbaijan in the war,[2] also attended the military parade as part of a state visit to Baku.[7]

The military parade aroused great interest among Baku residents, who gathered in different parts of the city and tried to watch the parade closely, despite the COVID-19 related regulations.[8]

The parade was criticized in Armenia due to the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev declaring the Syunik, Gegharkunik, and Yerevan regions of Armenia to be the "historical lands" of Azerbaijanis,[9] and Erdoğan's remarks on the spirit of Enver Pasha, who was one of the masterminds of the Armenian genocide.[10] Both statements were condemned by Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan.[11] In later speech Aliyev claimed to "have no territorial claims to any country, including Armenia".[12] However, Aliyev has made irredentist claims over Armenian territories multiple times, vowing to "return to them", declaring: "Yerevan is our historical land and we Azerbaijanis must return to these historical lands".[13][14] Later on 22 July 2021, Aliyev made another irredentist claim over Armenia's province Zangezur (Syunik), saying that it's "our own territory".[15]

During the parade, Erdogan also recited parts of a controversial Soviet Azerbaijani poem, which sparked tensions with neighboring Iran.[16]

  1. ^ a b "Azerbaijan Holds Military Parade To Mark Declared Victory In Nagorno-Karabakh War". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Azerbaijan Holds Military Parade to Mark Success in Nagorno-Karabakh War". Voice of America. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Zəfər paradında əsgərlərin marşı, yeni silah və hərbi texnika - şəkillərdə". BBC Azerbaijani Service (in Azerbaijani). 10 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Bakıda "Zəfər Paradı" keçirildi". Amerikanın Səsi (in Azerbaijani). Voice of America. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference jazeeraprade was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference jets was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Единение характеров. В Азербайджане объяснили участие Эрдогана в параде победы". Национальная Служба Новостей – НСН (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  8. ^ Ackeret, Markus (11 December 2020). "Aserbaidschan und die Türkei zelebrieren ihren Sieg im Karabach-Krieg". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Aliyev lays claim to 'historical lands' in Armenia. Moscow, Yerevan react". JAM News. December 11, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "At Baku Victory Parade, Aliyev Calls Yerevan, Zangezur, Sevan Historical Azerbaijani Lands, Erdogan Praises Enver Pasha". The Armenian Mirror-Spectator. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  11. ^ ռ/կ, Ազատություն (11 December 2020). "Yerevan Condemns 'Azeri Territorial Claims'". Azatutyun. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  12. ^ "Алиев заявил, что Азербайджан не имеет территориальных претензий к Армении". TASS. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  13. ^ Broers, Laurence (5 August 2021). "Augmented Azerbaijan? The return of Azerbaijani irredentism". Eurasianet. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  14. ^ Kucera, Joshua (13 February 2018). "Azerbaijan President Calls for Return to "Historic Lands" in Armenia". Eurasianet. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  15. ^ "Ильхам Алиев: "Это наши территории. Зангезур – земля наших предков, и мы находимся на своей территории"" [Ilham Aliyev: “These are our territories. Zangezur is the land of our ancestors, and we are on our own territory "]. Haqqin.az (in Russian). 22 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference iran was invoked but never defined (see the help page).