In the modern era, military power is one of the main factors in protecting a state's independence and territorial integrity. It is no coincidence that Ilham Aliyev stated at the 12th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States held in Gabala on 07.10.2025: “Today, military power in the world is the main factor of every country's independence and territorial integrity.” This idea was also confirmed by Azerbaijan's historic victory in the 44-day Patriotic War. As a result of a strong army, correct military strategy, and political will, our country changed the balance of power in the region and fully ensured its sovereignty.
Every state tries to gain a leading position in the region by using power and to make changes in the activities of other states in line with its own interests. The balance of power reveals not only the military strength but also the economic and other differences between states. When a state is strong, it prevents external interference in its country; when it is weak, the exact opposite happens.
In the theory of the balance of power, balance is a state of equilibrium where no state can dominate other states or dictate its will unilaterally.
In the current era, a number of states disrupt the balance in international relations, which leads to conflicts in interstate relations. In the 1990s of the last century, the Russian state disrupted the balance in the South Caucasus, and more than 20% of our country's territory was occupied.
According to Hans Morgenthau: Power is both a means and an end in international relations. It is a means because it serves the national interest. It is an end because when achieved, the national interest is also secured. In our state, which regained independence in 1991, after the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev came to power, extensive work began towards strengthening the state politically, militarily, and economically to protect its national interests.
In the economic sphere, on September 20, 1994, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan signed an agreement with major oil companies of the world on oil production in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. This agreement soon became known worldwide as the “Contract of the Century.” In 1997, oil production under the “Contract of the Century” began. Later, on November 18, 1999, an agreement was signed in Istanbul on the transportation of Caspian oil via the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline. In 2001, agreements were signed with Turkey and Georgia on the export of Azerbaijani gas via the Baku–Tbilisi–Erzurum pipeline, and so on.
In the military sphere, after the ceasefire was achieved with the Bishkek Protocol in 1994, the material and technical base of the army was strengthened, and its adaptation to international standards began. In 2004, Azerbaijan joined NATO's “Partnership for Peace” program, taking important steps towards modernizing its army. At the same time, the emphasis on military education, regular meetings with young officers, and their personal rewarding have greatly contributed to the development of military professionalism in our country. In the modern era, it is clearly visible that military power plays a decisive role in protecting the independence and territorial integrity of the state.
In the diplomatic sphere, the OSCE Lisbon Summit held in 1996 was one of the greatest achievements of Azerbaijani diplomacy. Heydar Aliyev put forward a number of principles regarding the territorial integrity of the Azerbaijani state. However, Armenia opposed these principles.
Heydar Aliyev skillfully used diplomatic strategy and declared that he would veto the final document of the summit. Consequently, he defined three main principles for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict:
1.Recognition of the territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
2.Granting Nagorno-Karabakh the highest degree of self-governance status within Azerbaijan.
3.Ensuring the security of the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Under the leadership of the Great Leader, our country's achievements in the military, economic, and diplomatic spheres laid the foundation for our future victory.
The next important diplomatic step was taken by President Ilham Aliyev. During his speech at the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club held in Sochi, Russia, on October 3, 2019, our head of state, in response to Armenia's claims, uttered a historic phrase that attracted the attention of the world community: “Karabakh is Azerbaijan and an exclamation mark!”. With this speech, Ilham Aliyev sent a resolute message that the Azerbaijani state would ensure its territorial integrity, even through war if necessary.
Our victory, the foundation of which was laid by Heydar Aliyev, and with Ilham Aliyev's intelligent strategy, our state ensured its territorial integrity. Ruslan Pukhov noted in his article published in the “Kommersant” newspaper: The 44-day Second Karabakh War, which began on September 27, 2020, was not only a turning point for Azerbaijan and Armenia but also changed the political and military balance of power in the South Caucasus.
How did our glorious victory, written in golden letters in history, affect the balance of power of the independent Republic of Azerbaijan?
First and foremost, our territories, which had been under occupation for more than 30 years, were liberated, restoring our shaken power, and our sovereign right, which had not been restored for over 200 years throughout the country, was reinstated. On June 15, 2021, alliance relations were formalized with the Shusha Declaration signed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Shusha. As a result of the Declaration, cooperation in defense and security was strengthened. Principles supporting regional stability and security were reflected. The Zangazur corridor can be evaluated as the key to economic power. Thanks to the corridor, the Azerbaijani state will gain a number of privileges. Its role as a transit country will increase, and the Azerbaijani state will begin to play the role of a bridge between Europe and Asia. Thus, our country has become a state with significant geopolitical power and influence, not only in the South Caucasus and the Caspian region but also beyond.
Unfortunately, our country's success is not to everyone's liking. For this reason, we must always be vigilant and not lose caution. Everyone must serve Azerbaijan by conscientiously performing their duties and protect our balance of power in international relations.
Ibrahim Kazimov
Western Caspian University
Faculty of International Relations
