A military parade was held on Thursday in the Azerbaijani capital in celebration of the peace deal with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh that saw Azerbaijan reclaim much of the separatist region along with surrounding areas.
The agreement took force exactly a month ago and put an end to six weeks of fierce fighting between the two ex-Soviet nations over Nagorno-Karabakh.
It was seen as a major victory in Azerbaijan, but prompted mass protests in Armenia, with opposition supporters demanding the ouster of the country’s prime minister over his handling of the conflict.
Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a separatist war there ended in 1994. That war left Nagorno-Karabakh itself and substantial surrounding territory in Armenian hands.
More than 3,000 people took part in the parade on Thursday, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the event. Turkey strongly backed Azerbaijan during the conflict, which it used to expand its clout in the region.
A Turkish commando brigade took part in the parade in which Turkish drones were also put on display. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev thanked Turkey for its support in his speech.
“From the first hours of the war, we felt the support of Turkey,” Aliyev said.
“This is an example of our unity, our brotherhood.” The Azerbaijani president said the country was able to “restore historical justice” and blamed Armenia for starting the fighting.