Armenophobia in Azerbaijan

Ramil Safarov was pardoned and rewarded, with his years of imprisonment compensated with an apartment and 8-years’ pay,

while Akram Aylisli was stripped of his awards

becoming a target for ostracism and persecution.

In June 2013, a retaliatory story by Zafar Aliyev was published entitled Stone Truth

, in which the author replicated the events described by Akram Aylisli in a mirror setting. The plot of the story is built around the idea that Aylisli is an Armenian and a son of Dashnak. The story concludes with the fiery speech by a professor:

<…> It seems that you welcome this to some extent. What sin are you speaking about?! What do you call a sin? Attempted self-defense? The wish to protect you from Armenians paid with the blood and lives of our soldiers? Or, do you call it a sin to protect our native land from the Armenian occupying forces? Is this a sin?! Would you agree that Armenians took away our land and home? Are you satisfied with that?!

<…> Through this novel, Akper Ayishli insulted the whole nation. With this novel, Ayishli exerts psychological pressure on the entire nation. He slandered and abused our memory of those who died at the hands of Armenians. You seem to agree with that? And when those who suffered at the hands of Armenians protest against such lie and slander of Akper Ayishli, do you consider it to be a psychological pressure on an elderly man? And do you protest against it?

<…> Only those, who have lost their honor or have never had any, can agree to what was written by Akper Ayishli! <…>

<…> Do you really think that after all of this he must keep the title of a People’s Writer and receive a considerable presidential scholarship to continue writing such filth? I’m sure that in this case, many of you would have been outraged. <…>

<…> It seems I have clearly exposed my position on the novel. The only question that remains unclear is who is the author of the novel? An Azerbaijani or an Armenian? I am more than confident that an Azerbaijani could not have written this. This could be written only by an Armenian, only by one who carries the hatred for Turks in his heart and genes.

<…> The professor completed his speech and went down heading for the monument of Nizami, shaking his head in discontent.

<…> Many of those gathered rolled down the banners and portraits of Akper Ayishli and threw them into garbage bins. The action disintegrated into groups, and its participants scattered engaging in a heated argument.

The ethical principles are shaped in accordance with certain norms established in the society and shaping interpersonal relationships within the society.

At the end of the day, “the good” gained the upper hand over “the evil” in Azerbaijan.

13. Exporting armenophobia

Any ideology, however perfect it may seem to be, cannot be considered full-fledged, if it does not enjoy the support and approval of the outside world. It is especially so, if we consider certain peculiarities of the character calling for a constant praise, admiration and rapture.

Thus, the victory over the common sense and civilization in Azerbaijan cannot be deemed complete inasmuch as the ideology of armenophobia does not seem to enjoy much of a support from anybody else in the outside world. From the perspective of Azerbaijani figures, the outside world underestimates and misjudges “the true essence of Armenians”, with Azerbaijan taking up the mission of “exposing the truth to the world”.

After forming a perfectly armenophobic top-down hierarchy going all the way from the authorities to the lowest social strata, Azerbaijan has embarked upon its mission of disseminating its philosophy of “tolerance with preconditions” across the globe. During international meetings, conferences, workshops and conventions, apart from sharing their experience in reinforcing tolerance with their foreign colleagues, Azerbaijani figures rub in the “truth about Armenians” with a missionary zeal.

The onus for exporting armenophobia is placed on every patriot of Azerbaijan, from representatives of the authorities to plain citizens, irrespective of their sex, age, social status and intellectual capacity.

Several forms of taking a “civic stand” and exposing the truth about Armenians can be identified from the press.

Pointed refusals to take part in events, if they involve or relate to Armenians

In Austria, the ballet Gаyаne was staged in dedication to the Armenian artist Gayane Khachaturyan and planned to feature Mehman and Nariman Mardanovs, dancers from Azerbaijan, who in their time were admitted to Europaballett St.Pölten at the personal request of the Azerbaijan’s Minister of Culture. However, Azerbaijanis refused to take part in the project under the pretext that the artist Gayane Khachaturyan was Armenian. Shortly after, the Austrian Minister of Culture stepped in to investigate the scandal and requested the Azerbaijani dancers to leave the country. Mardanov brothers have already sent back to Baku.

An Azerbaijani refused to introduce an Armenian singer at an international contest. <…> Azerbaijan was presented at the contest by 16-year-old Emin Eminzadeh, a student of the music school № 35 of Baku under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, who was a prize winner of the last year’s contest and was invited by the organizing committee as an honorary guest to act as a host person. <…> Emin presented the Armenian delegation only very briefly refraining from the announcement of the Armenian singer on stage and pronouncing words of praise about Armenia in violation of the rules of the contest. He did not change his position even after the intervention of the organizing committee declaring his readiness to hand down the functions of the host person. This created some tension, and ultimately, the Armenian singer was presented by the host person from Lithuania, Ruta Lukoseviciute. <…> Emin also declined the invitation of the Armenian delegation to take part in an international contest to be held in Yerevan this October. <…> Emin Eminzadeh attended the Opus-2013 contest together with his teacher, Fidan Gasimova, People’s Artist of the USSR, and his father, Khazar Emin, a board member of the World Azerbaijanis Congress.

Abuse in respect of Armenians and persons who are related to them or have expressed a positive opinion on them

Azerbaijani director: “Had there been a boy instead of a little girl, I would bang his head against the wall for asking me if I was Armenian”.

Publika.az published a story by Shamil Sadig entitled “Armenian Child”, with its plot most probably unfolding in Russia during a rehearsal dedicated to Aghdam events of 1992. Under the guidance of an Azerbaijani director nicknamed Lamakan, children learn poems about Khojaly and the anthem of Azerbaijan. However, things advance slowly, because according to the director, “children do not feel the essence of the tragedy”.

After another session at the arts and leisure center, as the director is about to leave, a group of primary school pupils enters the room accompanied by their teacher of Russian. A blond girl comes up to the director and asks: “Mister, are you Armenian?”

The director describes his indignation and outrage over the question, but tells of patting the girl’s head and answering that he was not Armenian, but Azerbaijani. To his friends, who witnessed this incident, he said that had there been a boy instead of a little girl, he would have banged his head against the wall to show what it meant to be an Armenian.

As the story unfolds, after a while, the same girl approaches him and supposedly says: “Do you know that you are our enemies? Your grandfathers killed our grandfathers and grandmothers. My mom says that I should have no friends form among Turks, that they are our eternal enemies. The story further describes how a grown-up man enters a debate with a young child and sets out to prove to her that Armenians are to blame for the events of Khojaly. The teacher of Russian steps in and takes the child away from the Azerbaijanis.

On July 30, 2013, in the military unit № 48315 of the city of Znamensk, Astrakhan Oblast, Emil Abdullayev, an old-timer conscript of Azerbaijani origin (who had served 8 months) attacked an Armenian, Jean Meroyan, who had just taken his oath of allegiance. The incident took place in the toilet, with the Azerbaijani first shouldering the Armenian aside and then in reply to his question of why he had done so, all of a sudden charged at the Armenian hitting him and breaking his jaw.

Demands to isolate ethnic Armenians from public venues

The Azerbaijani football club Simurg demanded from the management of the Limаk Atlаntis hotel in Antalya to evict players and the staff of the Armenian club Gandzasar who stayed at the same hotel. “It is not clear how could the management of the hotel in their right mind host at the same hotel teams from Azerbaijan and Armenia”, stated a representative of Simurg. “Either we will check out without paying, or the management will evict the Armenian team”, stated the representatives of the Azerbaijani club.

Ramiz Mamedov, the coach of the Kazakh Atyrau team, aired his position about the Armenian forward, Tigran Gharabaghtsyan, who had a contract with the club. “As far as I know, Gharabaghtsyan is no longer a player of Atyrau. But if it is not so, I’m in for a conversation with the club’s management. If I work with Atyrau, there will be no Armenians around”, stated Mamedov.

Accusations against business entities for parallel business projects with both Armenia and Azerbaijan

This results in exhorting their business partners to cease economic contacts with ethnic Armenians or companies owned by Armenians or with Armenian staff members.

An Iranian company running buses between Tabriz and Yerevan rents an office in Baku International Bus Terminal. “A reader of our information resource was concerned over this fact. As reported by AZE.az, the Iranian company which runs buses between Tabriz and Yerevan rents an office in Baku International Bus Terminal. This information was communicated by our reader, Samira Aliyeva, who had lately arrived from Tabriz. As can be seen from the ticket enclosed, Aram Safar Company provides passenger transportation to Istanbul, Yerevan, Ankara, Syria, Van and Baku. By the way, the capital of Azerbaijan is mentioned last for some reason.

Azerbaijan demanded explanation from the official Ankara over operating flights between Van and Yerevan. “The opening of this flight does not comply with Turkey’s position on the occupation of the Azerbaijani lands”, stated Ali Ahmedov, Deputy Chairman and Executive Secretary of the ruling party Yeni Azerbaijan. <…> As long as Azerbaijani lands are not liberated from the occupation, we don’t want any easing in the relationship between Turkey and Armenia”.

Organization of armenophobic events involving the residents of the countries where they are held

Habib Abdullayev (Muntazir), an Azerbaijani who lives in Germany, was fined by a court verdict to pay a sum of 900 euros for disparaging comments about the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. Habib Abdullayev was detained on June 22, 2010 as he was shouting anti-Armenian slogans during the visit of the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to Berlin.

Indiscriminate use of international platforms for armenophobic propaganda

Another anti-Armenian provocation attempt was thwarted at 18th International Book Fair held in Minsk in 2011. Armenia and Azerbaijan presented their stands at the fair; however, the Azerbaijani delegation preferred to cram their stand with anti-Armenian propaganda materials rather than any interesting literature. The Armenian delegation immediately drew the organizers’ attention to this inadmissible fact by noting that Armenia featured at the fair mostly literature on culture, while Azerbaijan presented literature containing unabashed anti-Armenian falsifications and xenophobic propaganda. As a result, the Azerbaijani stand was closed down, and the Azerbaijani delegation was forced to leave the fair and discontinue its participation.

Zarifa Salahova, owner of the museum and collection of miniature books: In 2004, I visited the United States as a part of an Azerbaijani delegation of art historians and museum workers, <…>. Imagine the situation; when I took the floor, all members of the delegation except Alla Bayramova, director of the Museum of Culture, tried to dissuade me from this undertaking as “we didn’t come for that”. I sharply retorted that I knew better and told the Americans of our pain. Later, we were accommodated in host American families. There again, I spent two and a half hours telling them the story of Karabakh on the very first evening. I gave them printed materials and a CD in English. Every evening, my host family received different guests who listened to my story of the tragedy of Karabakh with interest. I was invited to visit other Americans and I always started my conversation with Karabakh. Once, my hosts asked for my permission to introduce me to an American Armenian whose ancestors had moved to the United States in late 19th century. He told me of Armenia’s difficult situation in late 2004 and considered that if Armenians did not give us back Karabakh, their lot would be even harsher.

Public scandals and intimidation of representatives of international and foreign organizations and structures

At the international conference “Music for Democracy” held in Baku, an argument erupted between Chingiz Ganizadeh, a member of the Azerbaijani parliament, and Volker Beck, a deputy of Germany’s Bundestag. In his address to those attending the conference, the Azerbaijani deputy aired his indignation over the fact that “a person who did not acknowledge the occupation of Azerbaijan’s territories was invited to attend the conference Music for Democracy, something that elicits feelings of regret and surprise”.

After the Rabochaya Gazeta Ukrainian newspaper published in its issue of February 23 an article entitled “Imperishable celebration of loyalty, bravery and fortitude”, the staff of the Azerbaijani Vesti.az information agency started terrorizing the editorial staff of the Rabochaya Gazeta Ukrainian newspaper and the author of the article. The article told the story of Hamayak Arshakovich Safaryan, a panel member of the Kiev War Veteran’s Organization noting that “he was born in the ancient Armenian land of Nagorno-Karabakh, in the village of Kemrakuch of Hadrut region”. The Azerbaijani information agency demanded an acknowledgment stating that Nagorno-Karabakh was an Azerbaijani land. After receiving a polite rebuff, Vesti. az voices its indignation: “That’s it! No apologies, no assurances that tomorrow the newspaper will publish a clarification on this matter in its next issue. <…> How can Tolokin, who lives in the remote city of Kiev, know about Armenian guile and perfidy?”.

Public scandals and intimidation foreign citizens accompanied by verbal abuse

The Azerbaijani website Vesti.az: The news that the famous Turkish singer Sezen Aksu will sing the song Sari Gelin in Armenian and will include it into her new album, became an unpleasant surprise to me. This is another occasion for Armenians to pass the Azerbaijani song Sari Gelin as an ‘anthem of love’ of the Armenian Ashot and his ‘chick’ Haykanush. I think that you will agree that this occasion is meaningful as it is a Turkish woman who sings this song in Armenian. Although after what happened, I doubt that this singer really has Turkish blood running through her veins.

Akif Islamzadeh, singer: As far as Sezen Aksu is concerned, I can understand her: she has lost her voice and she needs money. Her hoarse-voiced singing will do for Armenians; for them, she will be like Montserrat Caballe. And my advice to her would be not to politicize this song and pay more attention to her reputation.

Unsolicited junk mail with armenophobic contents and calls against people who are viewed as holding a pro-Armenian position.

Akif Nagi, the chairman of the Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO), addressed a letter to the Pope Benedict XVI in protest against the canonization of the late Pope John Paul II because he did not support the Azerbaijani position in the Karabakh conflict. “During his visit to Yerevan in September 2003, he paid tribute to the tombs of Armenians killed in the Karabakh war” and therefore, may not be canonized.