The Tovuz battles that took place in July 2020 became one of the key turning points in Azerbaijan’s military history. These clashes demonstrated the unity of the Azerbaijani people and the strength of the country’s armed forces, becoming an important stage on the path toward the subsequent 44-day Patriotic War.

How have the main lessons learned from the Tovuz battles been reflected in Azerbaijan’s defense policy today?

Speaking to Globalinfo.az, Chairman of the Milli Majlis Committee on Defense, Security and Anti-Corruption, Arzu Naghiyev, said that the clashes on the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border in the Tovuz direction had a significant impact on the security environment, public sentiment, and military preparedness before the 44-day Patriotic War.

“Tovuz district covers 69 kilometers of the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border and holds a strategically important position. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, energy projects, and other vital communication routes pass through this area. Due to its strategic importance, Armenia repeatedly attempted to carry out provocations in this direction and seize key heights.

On July 12, 2020, the Armenian armed forces carried out a provocation near the Garagaya height in the Tovuz direction. The goal was to seize strategic positions and establish control over Tovuz and surrounding areas. However, the Azerbaijani Army decisively prevented these attempts.

During the battles, residents of border villages did not leave their homes. On the contrary, people from different regions of Azerbaijan came to Tovuz to support the army and local population. State institutions, law enforcement agencies, and special services professionally fulfilled their responsibilities, while the orders of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief were precisely carried out,” Naghiyev said.

Arzu Naghiyev

The committee chairman noted that one of Armenia’s objectives was to involve the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the conflict.

“However, in accordance with the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan acted only within its own borders, and this plan failed. The battles began after the Armenian armed forces violated the ceasefire and shelled Azerbaijani military positions and settlements with artillery. Before that, Armenia had violated the ceasefire 105 times within two days.

The Azerbaijani Army stopped the enemy’s attack, laying the foundation for the victory achieved in the 44-day Patriotic War. The myths surrounding the Armenian army were seriously damaged during these battles,” he added.

Naghiyev also emphasized that after the anti-terror operations, the Azerbaijani flag was raised in Khankendi.

“By this, Azerbaijan demonstrated that it was capable not only of achieving victory on the battlefield but also of carrying out large-scale reconstruction and development projects in the liberated territories.

The importance of the Tovuz battles was reflected in several areas. Militarily, the reliable defense of the state border, operational command, and combat readiness were successfully tested.

Politically, Tovuz’s proximity to international energy and transportation corridors increased the geopolitical significance of these battles.

From a public perspective, the deaths of servicemen, including high-ranking officers, created a strong social response, strengthening national unity and public support for the army.

After these events, special attention was paid to strengthening border defense, expanding surveillance capabilities, building engineering fortifications, and applying modern technologies such as intelligence systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, and electronic warfare capabilities.

The Tovuz events demonstrated that military planning should focus not only on front-line areas but also on protecting strategic infrastructure. In short, the Tovuz battles once again highlighted the importance of border security, operational readiness, modern technologies, and strategic infrastructure protection in Azerbaijan’s security policy.

The decisive leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the professionalism of the Azerbaijani Army, and national unity became the foundation of future historic victories,” Naghiyev stated.

Arzu Naghiyev

Military expert Adalat Verdiyev said that the Tovuz battles were written into the history of the Azerbaijani Army as a heroic chapter.

“The operations carried out to prevent provocations by Armenian armed forces in the Tovuz direction played an important role in the Azerbaijani Army’s advance toward a major victory.

The April clashes, the Gunnut operation in Nakhchivan, and the Tovuz battles once again demonstrated the high combat capability of the Azerbaijani Army. Azerbaijan achieved important successes as a result of these battles.

During the Tovuz battles, Armenia attempted to confront Azerbaijan with the CSTO. However, despite the clashes taking place on the state border, none of the CSTO member states condemned Azerbaijan. On the contrary, they stated that Armenia had carried out the provocation and criticized official Yerevan,” Verdiyev said.

Adalat Verdiyev

The expert stressed that the Tovuz battles hold a special place as one of the important battles leading Azerbaijan toward victory.

“As a result of this provocation, Armenia suffered another serious defeat and significant losses. Dozens of military facilities were destroyed, and more than one hundred Armenian servicemen were lost. At the same time, the Armenian leadership attempted to hide the true scale of its losses from the public.

During these battles, Azerbaijani servicemen demonstrated great heroism and once again proved that they were capable of decisively preventing any provocation against Azerbaijan.

For the first time during the Tovuz battles, generals and officers with the ranks of major in the Azerbaijani Armed Forces were martyred.

Overall, the international community and Azerbaijani leadership assessed these events as another provocation by Armenia.

Today, the Azerbaijani Army honors the memory of the servicemen who were martyred in the Tovuz battles.

The Tovuz battles also created a strong public determination to liberate the occupied territories. The unity between the people, army, and state became stronger and later resulted in the restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

From this perspective, the Tovuz battles became one of the most important stages on the road that led Azerbaijan to victory.”

Laman Imran
Globalinfo.az