Azerbaijani diplomat calls out The Guardian’s portrayal of former conflict

A response letter from Gunel Salimova, an adviser at the Azerbaijani Embassy in the UK, has been published by The Guardian following a biased article about the former Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict and its portrayal in a film.

The letter pointed out that, contrary to the author’s view, the film in question conveys a chauvinistic position and does not reflect the reality on the ground, while emphasising the need to account for the tragedies suffered by the Azerbaijani people, the humanitarian and social consequences of the occupation, and the continuing threat posed by landmines when covering the former conflict, Caliber.Az reports.

According to the letter, the former conflict was caused by Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani territories, while Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity in 2020.

It highlighted the significant progress made toward establishing lasting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, noting that the two countries “are making steady progress towards a durable peace.” The letter added that “the countries are trading, border delimitation commissions are meeting regularly, and confidence-building measures are increasing.”

It also noted that recent meetings between the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders highlighted “tangible dividends of peace,” including Azerbaijani exports to Armenia and the transit of goods through Azerbaijan. The leaders also discussed potentially transformative connectivity projects for the wider region.

The Azerbaijani side, the letter said, advocates shifting the focus away from disagreements stemming from the former conflict and toward the positive results achieved in strengthening peace, cooperation and mutual trust in the region, rather than “stories fostering division.”

By Jeyhun Aghazada