BAKU
For Mehriban Halilova, it is a proud moment to witness her country Azerbaijan's victory over Armenia.
She is one of the many Azerbaijanis looking forward to attending Thursday's victory parade being held to mark the end of clashes in Karabakh.
Military trucks pass the street in the rehearsals ahead of the military parade, which will be held to mark the Azerbaijani Army's entrance to Nagorno-Karabakh, in Baku, Azerbaijan.
"I humbly salute our martyrs and applaud our president," Halilova told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday, adding that she's glad the president of Turkey, the country which supported Azerbaijan during the conflict, will also be present.
Streets and buildings are decorated with Turkish and Azerbaijani flags, while platforms have been established for guests.
Military hardware of the Azerbaijani army will be on display and 3,000 soldiers who participated in the war will march during the ceremony.
Turkey's Bayraktar TB2 armed drones -- which were purchased by Azerbaijan and played a significant role during the clashes -- will be exhibited as well.
While armed vehicles and weapons the army captured from Armenian forces will be on display, fighter jets and helicopters are also planned to take part in the celebration.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will join his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev as a guest of honor, and Turkey’s elite special force units – also known as the Maroon Berets – will also be present.
Karabakh conflict
Relations between the former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
When new clashes erupted on Sept. 27, the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.
During the 44 days of heavy fighting, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from occupation.
The two countries signed a Russia-brokered truce on Nov. 10 to end the war, and work toward a comprehensive resolution.
Armenian forces are also withdrawing from the territories in line with the agreement.
*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas
