During these 17 years, the main part of my work has been devoted to army building. It was necessary to strengthen our army and equip it with the most modern weapons. This was not easy. This was stated by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in his address to the nation from the Alley of Martyrs. Ilham Aliyev said he worked to strengthen the Azerbaijani army: "First of all, I tried to strengthen our army, to equip it with the most modern weapons. It was not an easy task either. Material resources alone are not enough to buy those weapons. At the same time, diplomatic and political efforts must be made. We have achieved this.
Today, Azerbaijan provides its military supplies from many countries. At the same time, the defense industry was created in Azerbaijan on my initiative. We meet the needs of our army largely through domestic production. Azerbaijan produces more than 1,000 types of military products, including the most modern. This is our activity. Building the army, solving the material and living problems of the servicemen, solving the living problems of the retired servicemen by the state, providing them with apartments, improving the working conditions of our servicemen. We have rebuilt almost all our military camps and military bases, and they meet the highest standards. Of course, first of all, the combat capability has increased. Repeated military parades on Freedom Square have shown the world our strength. Increasing combat capability is a key factor in army building. We use modern weapons and equipment to destroy enemy equipment. But our lands are liberated by Azerbaijani soldiers! An Azerbaijani soldier destroys the enemy with a flag in one hand, a gun in the other and his chest. May love be our soldiers. We have created such an army. We have repeatedly told the enemy that it is not too late, go straight, put down your weapon. I have repeatedly said that if this conflict is not resolved peacefully, it will be resolved militarily. "