Aliyev regime purposefully generates anti-Armenian sentiment and fake news, warns historian

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Armenophobia is a state-sanctioned policy in Azerbaijan that existed since the foundation of the country, according to historian Robert Ghazaryan.

Ghazaryan, the Director of the Geghard Scientific-Research Foundation, told Armenpress that Armenophobia was actually placed at the very foundation of Azerbaijan as a country.

This anti-Armenian sentiment, promoted by the Aliyev regime, has continued even since the end of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Geghard foundation’s mission is to counter the Azeri fake news and falsifications by presenting fact-based, historic truths to the world.

The Armenophobia generated by Baku is constantly promoting hate towards Armenians, glorifying the murderers of Armenians and promoting the killing of Armenians, Robert Ghazaryan told Armenpress.

Ghazaryan’s research center deals with analyzing the Azeri media, as well as debunking and responding to fake news.

“Today, Armenophobia is one of the important components of the Azerbaijani state policy and is purposefully generated to stimulate especially the domestic audience, because they need to constantly distract their own society from certain problems and focus them in that direction. This phenomenon that has been at the foundation of the state has become stronger after the 2020 war with the goal of inflicting more damage to Armenia and Armenians. Pursuing concrete interests, the Azerbaijani state is injecting huge resources into fueling Armenophobia, and seems like it’s never going to stop,” Ghazaryan said.

The historian said that Geghard foundation is constantly monitoring the Azerbaijani media, and properly responding whenever needed.

He said the main mission of Geghard foundation is to present fact-based historic truths to both the Armenian and Azerbaijani societies, as well as the international community.

“One of the main goals is to present the truth in historic context, based on historic sources, to both our society, as well as the international community in Russia, Europe, Middle East, why not also to the Azerbaijanis, although the people of our neighboring country are not ready to accept the truth, because they are under a total state propaganda,” Ghazaryan said.

Furthermore, the Azerbaijani news media sector is completely controlled by the Aliyev regime, and any dissent is swiftly silenced.

“Even if these people refuse to remain silent, they get jailed on fabricated criminal charges. This is how they attempt to silence the dissidents. In conditions of total control, it is impossible to voice the truth there, people can only voice what the regime wants. If the dissidents and oppositionists try to speak out outside Azerbaijan, for example in Europe, the Aliyev regime reaches them even there. There are facts that they were behind the murder of opposition figures,” Ghazaryan said.

On one hand Azerbaijan is publicly stating intentions to sign a peace treaty with Armenia, but on the other hand it is explicitly showing its Armenophobia even on the level of the president, and continues making new demands from Armenia, the historian said. He said there is an impression that Azerbaijan actually seeks to sign the treaty with most beneficial terms for itself, in order to maximally gain benefits from the process and the ultimate result.

Ghazaryan believes that the Azeri state-sanctioned Armenophobia must be countered both on the state and public levels, which is being done. He said the efforts must be intensified and awareness must be raised both domestically and internationally about the Azeri fake news.

“You don’t need to do much to present evidence on Armenophobia to the international community, because everyone sees it, and Azerbaijan itself isn’t even hiding it. It is another matter that due to economic and political interests some countries don’t want to damage their relations with Azerbaijan, and thus they simply remain silent on some issues. The most practical step would be sanctions against the Aliyev regime, but they don’t do it because they are clearly guided by their interests. As a result, it is up to the international law and human rights organizations, plus our diplomacy, that seek to raise the issue of Armenophobia through various channels. There is no need for despair, we need to constantly work in this direction, because it is one of the most important issues for us, and we must certainly resolve it,” Ghazaryan said.