Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated during his inauguration speech on Wednesday that the world is very close to World War III.

Aliyev said: "Everyone sees the operations taking place in the world today, the world is indeed very close to World War III, some believe that World War III has already started, there may be different assumptions, and of course modern wars differ from previous wars, and World War II cannot even be compared with today's wars."

He added: "Naturally, many countries today have begun to pay attention to the military field. We have been doing this for more than 20 years, and the experience we have today, including combat experience, is indispensable."

He confirmed that the Azerbaijani army "showed its strength not in drills or parades, but on the battlefield."

Yesterday, Aliyev took the constitutional oath for a fifth term, promising in exercising his presidential powers to adhere to the constitution, defend the state's independence and territorial integrity, and serve the people competently.

Aliyev, 62, had won the early presidential elections held in the country on February 7, surpassing his competitors by a large margin in votes.