Armenia's unabashed institutional racism threatens peace and order in South Caucasus

Azerbaijan-phobia and racism are deep-rooted ideologies in Armenian society that drive prejudice, chauvinism towards Azerbaijanis and what are characteristic of them.

And, regrettably, this is intrinsic to people from almost all walks of Armenian society, amounting to less than 3 million versus Azerbaijan - the most developed nation of the South Caucasus in terms of economy and human resources, coupled with powerful military forces, cite just a few.

As someone, who hails from Western Azerbaijan - a historical Turkic land - called Armenia after 1920s, I repeatedly with my own eyes witnessed hatred and racism of ordinary Armenians, in particular of Armenian officials and nationalists toward Azerbaijanis - natives of the land from where the last Azerbaijanis were ousted in 1988. Back then at Soviet times, they behaved not less nationalist as now though they represented the then communist party of Armenia but actually were Dashnaks or their ilk.

At all times and in all places, the Armenian political circles were, are, and I am more than confident, will be driven by animosity and hostility towards Azerbaijanis, and the rationale behind, they believe and often admit is that they lack benevolent qualities that are alien to them among others.

Now when the powerful Armenian Diaspora has managed to rally all anti-Azerbaijani forces against Baku’s rightful and sovereign decisions and steps, the question is what is behind this hullabaloo.

Remaining loyal to the principles of fair journalism, I would like to concisely describe the current state of affairs that have paved the way for yet another, but futile campaign Armenians are waging against Azerbaijan at a cost of millions being paid to corrupt politicians, like Bob Menéndez, Adam Schiff or French President Emmanuel Macron, give just a few.

Well, after an almost 30-year-long occupation of nearly 20 percent of its lands, in 2020, Azerbaijan won back most part of the lands and since then, step by step, the nation is both rebuilding and restoring the devastated Karabakh despite tremendous and often insurmountable obstacles, placed by Armenians, beefing up defense capabilities to avoid similar cases in future.

However, Armenia, despite repeated statements that it recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and respects its sovereign rights, keeps putting nose into Azerbaijan’s domestic affairs by funneling millions of dollars to retain the conflict intact – the move that cannot please Azerbaijan.

After April 2023, when Azerbaijan erected a border checkpoint in Lachin to exercise control over incoming and outgoing passengers and goods, Armenians both in independent Armenia and Karabakh realized that they reached the end of the road, that is, their uncontrolled trips to and fro via the unprotected segment of the border are over and thus kicked off another phase of anti-Azerbaijani campaign by unfounded claims about famine in Karabakh.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated its readiness to provide the region with all what they need and start a re-integration process but got protests, libel campaigns, unfounded claims about repression and so on. To prove its intention, Baku dispatched two trucks of humanitarian aid to the administrative border of the separatist region and 40-tons of flour and flour products have been in the area for over two weeks.

If Karabakh Armenians are indeed running out of essential foods, why are they protesting against the Azerbaijani aid but accepting the one Russia sent to Khankendi via Barda a day ago. What is it if not outright racism and antagonistic attitude to the nation and state where they have been living since the early XIX century?

“Rejecting wheat flour delivered by the Azerbaijani Red Crescent because of its origin of production (Azerbaijan) is racism pursued by illegal puppet regime. Azerbaijan can no longer tolerate the 'grey' uncontrolled zone on its soil. Illegal regime must be dissolved and disarmed,” according to Azerbaijani top presidential foreign policy aide Hikmat Hajiyev. 

Undoubtedly, the existence of a severe psychological condition, caused by Azerbaijan’s victory in the Patriotic War cannot be denied and this is especially tangible and obvious in the run-up to the third anniversary.

However, if we look at history, especially the atrocities committed by Armenians in the first Karabakh war, and the merciless attacks on civilians during the Second Karabakh war, it shows that not only individuals, but the whole society is sick.

Armenian society should understand that the false history that has been invented and instilled in them for many years will lead the country to new disasters. Today, looking at the destruction, caused by 30-year-long occupation, ruination of mosques, religious monuments, cultural facilities, cemeteries, entire towns and villages, it is not so difficult to understand who is who and what is the cost of Armenian racism.

After the signing of the tripartite statement of November 10, 2020, during the evacuation of districts, the behaviors of the Armenian military and civilians resembled those of Nazis. The whole world saw what Azerbaijan's neighbor, created by Russians to keep the region in constant turmoil, but no denunciation of its barbaric actions – a similar approach exercised during the occupation years. Today mono-ethnic Armenia actually says a lot about the essence of the ideology that directs public thinking in the country:

In 1988, hundreds of thousands of our compatriots were deported from Armenia. There had been such deportation in earlier times as well. In Khojaly, in 1992, one could not expect a different approach from Armenians who killed babies and women because of their ethnicity. In Armenia, xenophobia, racism, aggression, religious and ethnic intolerance are accepted as normal norms of politics, and unfortunately, this approach has also spread across society.

The slander and speculation campaign carried out by Armenia against Azerbaijan’s humanitarian aid and goodwill gestures is actually a very serious blow to the peace process. Attempts by revanchist forces both in Armenia and in Karabakh to artificially create tension in the region are actually carried out on the orders of external forces. The goal is to destabilize the South Caucasus and use the situation for their own purposes.

On the one hand, they talk about peace and reconciliation, on the other hand, they turn away the hand extended by Baku. The attitude of Armenia and the Karabakh separatists to Azerbaijan's proposal regarding the Aghdam-Khankendi road is nothing but racism.

The civilized world perceives the behavior of Armenians as violation and racism. Aghdam-Khankendi road brings a number of advantages to Armenians.

Indeed, valid questions arise. Why should products, imported and produced by Armenia, be brought to the territory of Azerbaijan? Why does the Armenian leadership not tell the Armenians in Karabakh that Khankendi and its surroundings are the territory of Azerbaijan, and that they should live under Azerbaijani laws? Why does Armenia send trucks to Lachin without Azerbaijan’s consent?

Azerbaijan cannot turn a blind eye to such provocations of Armenia and tolerate the continuation of lawlessness.

The European Union mission in Armenia accompanies vehicles almost like a military convoy. Today, some European countries, where Islamophobia and racism are raging, are once again showing their ugly faces. The fact that the European Union did not take any action against the burning of the Quran, and that it justifies this ugly, anti-human act, clearly demonstrates that racism, religious and racial discrimination has already risen from the public to the official level.

Islamophobia manifests itself in an ugly form in the European Union Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the Council of Europe. Today, the European countries, which supposedly care about the Armenians in Karabakh and are concerned about the current situation, were not concerned about one million refugees and internally displaced persons in Azerbaijan as a result of the occupation of Armenia in the 1990s.

Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan has been under blockade for 30 years now, however, the EU turns a blind eye to Armenia's failure to open the Zangezur Corridor. European organizations have not once raised the issue of aid to Nakhchivan.