A study of Modern Azerbaijani official discourse demonstrates a significant prevalence of Armenophobic ideologies and propaganda. This is particularly evident in the statements made by the country’s highest-ranking officials, President Ilham Aliyev, Military officers, Members of Parliament and even religious leaders. Their anti-Armenian statements, in general, can be categorized into the following groups:
- Armenians are portrayed as fascists and the Armenian state is alleged to be pursuing a fascist policy.
- The Armenian diaspora is claimed to compel Armenia to implement a nationalist/fascist policy towards Azerbaijan and Turkey.
- Armenians are depicted as cowardly and weak people.
- A framing of the dehumanization of Armenians as dogs to be chased away or a disease to be eradicated.
- Armenians are often accused of not having their own distinct culture, but rather have been stealing it from neighboring nations like the Caucasian Albanians, Udis, etc.
- The word “Armenian” is often used as an insult to describe hypocrites or liars.
- They threaten Armenia with war in case Armenians try to rebuild their army or increase their population.
Below are different examples that confirm each of the categories discussed. It is not uncommon to see more than one of these claims in the same speech.
On 6 August 2014, President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev visited a military unit in Agdam and addressed the servicemen:
“Today, the enemy is in a state of panic and hysteria. We know this. We have sufficient opportunities to know what is happening on the other side. We have completely taken over military and moral advantage… If the Armenian fascist state does not give up its dirty deeds, the very existence of the Armenian state can be called into question”.
During his speech at the opening of the Fifth Baku International Humanitarian Forum on 29 September 2016, Aliyev said:
“The Armenians have destroyed our historical and religious monuments in the occupied lands. There are facts… There is an Armenian church in the center of Baku. We have restored it. Currently, more than 5,000 books in the Armenian language are stored in this church… This is the difference between us. Armenian fascism has brought great misfortunes. Innocent people are still suffering from the Armenian policy”.
Ramin Mammadov, MP from the ruling “New Azerbaijan” Party, during his interview with Trend Agency on 3 February 2021, stated:
“Mr. President also specially emphasized that Azerbaijan not only restored its territorial integrity, but also saved the region from Armenian fascism. Let’s hope that this kick will also wake up many forces in Armenia from harmful dreams. The current situation creates an opportunity for the Armenian people to correctly analyze and evaluate the historical conditions and define their future in a more correct direction. If the Armenian state fails to properly assess this opportunity, it will undoubtedly face bigger problems in the future”.
On 20 April 2021, during an interview with Azerbaijan Television, Aliyev mentioned:
“Armenian fascism is the ugliest and most brutal of all those that existed in other countries. In this war, we not only restored our territorial integrity but also destroyed Armenian fascism. This is a historic mission we have completed not only for the Azerbaijani people but also for the whole world. Armenian fascism has been annihilated. It has been destroyed by the Azerbaijani people. If certain revengeful forces raise their head in Armenia today, they should know that, if necessary, we will smash their heads at any moment. We cannot allow Armenian fascism the opportunity to raise its head again”.
Similar accusations were made by Aliyev again on 5 March, 2021:
“Armenian propaganda has poisoned the minds of the Armenian people so much that many of them may have believed that they were right in occupying our lands. I was saying that they need to be treated. They are sick, a virus more dangerous than the coronavirus has permeated them. That is what the Armenian politicians had done to them with their nationalist and racist agenda, the Azerbaijanophobia and Islamophobia. Not only because we were right. We received a moral advantage because all these years we lived with one goal: the restoration of our territorial integrity and the expulsion of the enemy from our lands”.
Not long after – on 6 May, 2021, the Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel-General Ramil Usubov stated:
“In a recent interview, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief stressed that Azerbaijan has successfully fulfilled its historic mission and destroyed the Armenian fascism – the world’s most brutal fascism. If this state and its supporters try to revive Armenian fascism, they will be destroyed immediately. President Ilham Aliyev’s specific attitude to this issue is that Armenia will not be allowed to restore its military and political resources not to pose a threat again”.
During his interview with AZERTAC state news agency on 31 January 2022, Ilham Aliyev mentioned the expression “Armenian fascism” 11 times:
“Armenia, on the other hand, was defeated on the battlefield. They had 10,000 deserters. They have been thoroughly humiliated… We took revenge for these innocent people, for our martyrs on the battlefield. We brought Armenia to its knees and defeated it. We defeated Armenian fascism and restored justice.
… But we must never forget the Armenian savagery and Armenian fascism… We have defeated Armenian fascism. We must ensure that Armenian fascism never arises again.
… I raised the issue of executioner Nzhdeh in my speech at one of the CIS summits. I said that the statue of Nzhdeh in the Armenian capital Yerevan was propaganda of fascism. This must be stopped. That man was a fascist and an executioner. That man killed innocent Azerbaijanis, then soldiers and officers of the Soviet army during World War II. This Nzhdeh was a fascist, and everyone should know that. But he is still glorified in Armenia. If this were only related to the previous fascist government, it would be half the trouble. Unfortunately, the current Armenian government promotes and protects the Nazis.
… This shows that Armenian fascism is still alive. Yes, we defeated Armenian fascism in the Second Karabakh War, in the Patriotic War. I can say that Armenian fascists are not as active now as in previous years. But we can see that fascism is on the rise in Armenia.
… The organization of such a shameful act in the Russian capital through the Armenian Diaspora proves what I said. We have defeated Armenian fascism, but it is not over yet. We will continue to wipe out all manifestations of Armenian fascism, and we can do that. But other countries and the international community must also be united on this issue. The destruction committed by Armenian fascism in the 21st century should be an example for everyone that fascism is fascism. Armenia’s patrons, the circles behind Armenia, must know, understand and appreciate our historical mission; they must understand who we have destroyed. We have not only liberated our lands, but we have also cleansed the region, the South Caucasus, of these savage forces. I repeat that they are humiliated now, but no one can guarantee that they will not rise again. We will never allow Armenian fascism to rise in our region. We can never allow Armenia to become a potential threat to Azerbaijan again. If we see that, we will destroy it on the spot. Everyone should know this”.
On 28 February 2012, at the opening of a conference on the results of the third year of the “State Program on the socioeconomic development of districts for 2009-2013”, Ilham Aliyev announced:
“Our political influence and economic power are growing. This is seen by those who like us and those who don’t. There are quite a lot of those who rejoice in our successes. But there are forces that don’t like us, our detractors. They can be divided into several groups. First, our main enemies are Armenians of the world and the hypocritical and corrupt politicians under their control. The politicians who don’t wish to see the truth and are engaged in denigrating Azerbaijan in different parts of the world. Members of some parliaments, certain political figures, etc. who live on the money of the Armenian lobby. We know them all. There is no need to name them. This is one group. Another group includes those who don’t accept Azerbaijan’s independent policies. In other words, they don’t accept that Azerbaijan can pursue an independent policy”.
Regarding the topic of renaming the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to the Republic of Artsakh, Novruz Mammadov, then Head of Department of Foreign Policy of Azerbaijan, during an interview on 12 November 2016, insulted the Armenian statehood and Armenian Diaspora:
“Armenians consider themselves very smart and all-knowing, present themselves as a nation that coexists peacefully with other nations, but meanwhile they cannot create a normal state and independently conduct the internal and foreign policy of their state. They are always under someone’s cover, on someone’s arms. Armenians have created a position for themselves in all countries by their hypocrisy and sycophancy. And from there they tell the Armenians here: be stronger, be patriotic”.
During his visit to the opening of Military Trophy Park in Baku on 12 April 2021, Ilham Aliyev stated:
“After the Shusha operation, Armenia fell to its knees… The enemy fell to its knees, bowed its head, threw in the towel, admitted defeat, signed an act of surrender on 10 November, and we returned the occupied Kalbajar and Lachin districts and the part of Aghdam district that was under occupation without a single shot fired”.
On 28 May 2021, President Ilham Aliyev said:
“The 44-day war has demonstrated our strength, shown the courage and heroism of our Armed Forces and the unity of our people… Towards the end of the war, the enemy began to panic, fell into hysteria and began to acknowledge its defeat. They were further convinced that they would not be able to cope with Azerbaijan.
… The “brave” Armenian soldiers seeing our soldiers at the second stage of the war put down their weapons and fled. They are fleeing even today”.
At the Military parade of 8 November 2023, Aliyev announced:
“The enemy army, seeing the professionalism and selflessness of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, was in a massive state of panic, and according to their admission, there were 12,000 deserters in the Armenian army during the 44-day war.
… The enemy has knelt before us, and today, I am here addressing the Victorious Armed Forces. So, we have fulfilled all the tasks, but at the same time, from now on, the army building will be one of the priority issues for us. Let everyone know this, and let no one forget it.
… In one day, they laid down their weapons in Karabakh, our flag was raised in Khankendi”.
In the middle of the 44-day war in 2020, on October 22, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defence Industry announced the beginning of the mass production of a new type of unmanned aerial vehicles named “Iti Qovan” which literally translates to “Dog Chaser“. This was one type of dehumanization of the Armenians. The fact that they were referring to the Armenians with the word “dog” can be proven by the direct speeches of Ilham Aliyev during the war.
For example, on 4 October 2020, Ilham Aliyev addressed the nation:
“Now we have shown who is who. We are driving them away like dogs! Azerbaijani soldiers drive them away like dogs! The Azerbaijani flag is being raised in the occupied territories! Azerbaijani soldiers are standing in their trenches! Their posts are in our hands! We are driving their tanks! Their other weapons are in our hands, their trucks are in our hands! We are fulfilling our mission of salvation and we will complete it!”.
Not long after – on 17 October 2020, Aliyev said:
“The victorious Azerbaijan’s Army is driving and will continue to drive the enemies away from our lands in the ongoing battles. I said that if they do not leave our lands of their own free will, we will chase them away like dogs and we are doing that. Every day, the victorious Azerbaijani Army liberates new strategic locations, new heights and new settlements from the occupiers. Our revenge happens on the battlefield”.
Another type of dehumanization of Armenians was picturing them as some kind of disease or dirt that should be eradicated. The “Azermarka” Ltd. operating under the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies issued postage stamps entitled “Azerbaijan 2020 (Doctor and Soldier)”. Photo collages about a soldier and doctor are reflected on the first stamp, and photo collages about a disinfection specialist and demining specialist are reflected on the second one. Later on, a new commemorative stamp sheet was released in Azerbaijan portraying a person in protective gear who appears to be disinfecting, de-fumigating or chemically cleaning the territory of Artsakh, which was colored dark green and according to the designers of the sheet, needs to be cleaned.
On April 12, 2021, Azerbaijan opened its “War Trophies Park”, claiming to honor its victory in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but the park instead emphasizes human tragedy and the government’s racist policies. The park showcases Armenian military paraphernalia and caricatured wax figures of Armenian soldiers, exposing a deep-seated animosity. This exhibit, initiated under President Ilham Aliyev, signifies an escalation in anti-Armenian sentiment within the country. The park’s inauguration is a clear sign of Azerbaijan’s increasing Armenophobia.
For decades, Azerbaijan tried to present the Armenian heritage either as if it was their own or credit it to other neighboring nations. This policy continued during and after the 44-day war as well.
Anar Karimov, an Azerbaijani politician who served as Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan from 2021 to 2022, made a tweet in which he declared that the Armenian monastery of Dadivank (which Azerbaijanis call “Khudavang”) is “one of the best testimonies of ancient Caucasian Albanian civilization.” A month later, the Azerbaijani government performed a visit of Udi community representatives to Dadivank Monastery. The religious service was conducted by Udi community representative Robert Mobili.
As the “Monument Watch” platform indicated, immediately after the end of the war, Azerbaijan began organizing periodical visits of representatives of the current Udi community to Armenian monasteries and churches that are now in the occupied territories. During the visits, representatives of the Udi community, headed by its leader Robert Mobili and his deputy Rafik Danakari, “performed ceremonies inherent in the Udi church” and in their interviews with media talked about “the harm done to the Udi cultural heritage during the period of Armenian occupation”. As an example of that “harm”, they point out that the Armenians “added Armenian crosses on the walls of Albanian-Udi churches, installed khachkars, carved Armenian inscriptions, and this was done intentionally in order to erase the Albanian trace”.
The highest-ranking religious official of Azerbaijan – the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board, Allahshukur Pashazadeh, repeatedly spreads Armenophobic ideas. On 22 July 2008, he stated:
“We are making all efforts to solve this problem peacefully and holding meetings for this goal, but we don’t see results of these meetings, because falsehood and treason run in Armenian’s blood. They ate our bread, but spoke against us while leaving“.
On 7 August 2008, in response to corruption rumors about himself, Allahshukur Pashazadeh used the word “Armenians” to insult those who were spreading those rumors:
“I am fighting against the Armenians. Accordingly, I will also have to fight against the internal Armenians, as I can find no other name for those writing stuff like that”.
Pashazadeh, on 16 October 2020, announced:
“It is characteristic of Armenians to kill children and civilians in the middle of the night”.
On 29 April 2022, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev had yet another anti-Armenian speech where he denied Armenia’s right to rebuild its army and even the right to increase its population:
“Armenia lost its chance to be a really independent country. I don’t want to go into many details. Everybody knows the real political configuration there… They need to put down all the illusions, put down all attempts to rebuild the army, become stronger, have a five million population they announced as their state program, and then take back the territories. That will be the end of their statehood, the official end”.
All of the above-mentioned official statements from Azerbaijan highlight a systematic effort to vilify Armenia and Armenians, and they reflect an overarching narrative of hostility that undermines any potential for peace and reconciliation.