The battle for the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region has claimed the lives of nearly 2,800 Azerbaijani soldiers.
The Ministry of Defense in Baku announced details for the first time on Thursday about the number of soldiers killed in the “patriotic war”. According to the ministry, this involves a total of 2,783 deaths. About 100 soldiers are also missing.
The conflict between Azerbaijan and neighbouring Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region flared up in September. The enclave with an ethnic Armenian majority seceded from Baku in the 1990s and declared its independence. That already led to a bloody conflict at the time.
The battle went well for Azerbaijan this year. The Armenian government was therefore forced to sign a peace agreement brokered by Russia in which it renounced areas in and around the enclave.
This led to significant internal unrest in Armenia. The Armenian authorities have reported the deaths of more than 2,300 soldiers.
Azerbaijan has announced a major military parade for next Thursday. Then Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will also be in the country, although it is still unclear whether he will also attend the parade.
Erdogan visits Azerbaijan, an ally of Turkey, on December 9 and 10. He is known to be the first foreign head of state to visit Baku since the end of hostilities.