Khojaly Genocide as marker of Armenian statehood, ideology How should Azerbaijan move forward?

February 26, 1992 will forever remain in the memory of the Azerbaijani people as the day of a terrible tragedy. The Khojaly massacre was not just an act of violence but a symbol of the deeply ingrained ideology of Armenian nationalism, which justifies cruelty for political purposes.

Serzh Sargsyan's words, "Before Khojali, the Azerbaijanis thought that they were joking with us, they thought that the Armenians were people who could not raise their hand against the civilian population. We were able to break that [stereotype]," confirm that the killing of civilians was not an accident, but a deliberate act of terror. Furthermore, this admission by a war criminal exposes the deep inferiority complex upon which Armenian nationalism is based.

Armenians, who had lived for centuries within Turkish states, wanted to show that they were not just a trading people, but "warriors." Let us recall the words of one Armenian political scientist, who during the 44-day war, stated on a Russian talk show that "Azerbaijanis will not defeat Armenians because Azerbaijanis are a nation of traders, while Armenians are a nation of warriors." This was a pure projection of their own complexes. Meanwhile, those who wanted to prove themselves as warriors found no other way to do so except by committing atrocities against defenseless elderly, women, and children.

Indeed, the Khojaly genocide left a bloody stain on all of Armenian society because it was not carried out by a group of degenerates, but by the Armenian army. As if to reinforce this point, the Armenian people elected the direct leaders of the murderers' army—Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan—as presidents of Armenia, two times in a row.

Like Sargsyan, Kocharyan also made hateful statements, publicly declaring the ethnic incompatibility of Armenians and Azerbaijanis. Thus, these two deranged provincials first satisfied their base thirst for killing, and then presented their worldview—Armenia, in their view, is an isolated piece of the world that must forever remain at odds with Azerbaijanis and Turks.

The idea is as monstrous as it is destructive for Armenia itself. In general, the ideology of racial and ethnic superiority can only be proposed under one condition—if you intend to conquer the world. But the world has already seen such an attempt in the 1930s and 1940s and knows the outcome. What can be said about attempts to build one's own Reich for a small nation in the South Caucasus?

So, what was going on in the minds of these people? Did they really think geography could be disregarded? How do they plan to live next door to us?

We need to help Armenian society eradicate the germ of nationalism from within itself. The best way to do this is not through admonitions or sweet speeches, but by being so strong ourselves that we discourage Armenian society from entertaining such thoughts. In other words, we need to work not with them, but on ourselves. Perhaps, then, they will follow suit.

And what about them? How are they working on themselves? Is there any trend toward the healing of their national ideology? There is no definitive answer to this, but there is something resembling a light at the end of the tunnel. Initiatives related to the adoption of a new constitution in the future (presumably without territorial claims against Azerbaijan), if they come to fruition, could become the first step on the path for Armenian society to abandon the ghosts of their Nazi past.

And, of course, Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan should ask the Azerbaijani people for forgiveness for this monstrous act of mass slaughter. While he is personally not involved in this, and in fact, he is a political antagonist to the old elites, he must do so as the head of state. After all, as already mentioned, it was not a group of marginal individuals, but the state, through its army, that carried out the Khojaly genocide.

Returning to us, it is important to note that the main lesson of Khojaly is not hatred, but vigilance. We must remember our history, learn from it, and do everything possible to ensure that such tragedies are never repeated. May the souls of the victims of the Khojaly massacre rest in peace, and the best memorial to them will be a prosperous and strong Azerbaijan.