Armenophobia in Azerbaijan Hinders Karabakh Conflict Settlement Process

• 02.23.2016, 09:50
• Greta Avetisyan
•  Region,  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  World,  Analytics

In these days the Azerbaijani propaganda machine again started to actively work, and in the coming days a new wave of propaganda is expected. A part of this campaign is the exploitation of the term "genocide" by Azerbaijan, and the appropriate and inappropriate use of this term for pushing its own interests, presenting the events in a distorted way or in a way that have nothing to do with the reality.

It is for many years that the spread of disinformation by Azerbaijan is going on. Maybe in its own country it justifies itself and in some sense it is having a "positive" effect, distracting public attention from the country's domestic problems, the difficult social situation, thus suppressing domestic shocks. However, it also raises a number of problems.

First, spreading disinformation among their own society, the Azerbaijani authorities contribute to the creation of the image of the enemy: this enemy being Armenians. This is reflected in different situations and at different levels, from the schoolbooks to high-level statements, including the President of the country. In fact, serious and interesting work has been done on examining the creation of the image of the enemy and hatred in the Azerbaijani society and these works are based on facts and show the real picture of the policy pursued by the Azerbaijani authorities. Such materials are the book "Armenophobia in Azerbaijan", the materials of Azerichild.info, Safarov.org websites, etc. The invented and the false nature of the thesis on "Khojaly events" that are so actively circulated in those days are revealed with the help of antithesis that can be found in Xocali.net website and with the documentary "Between Hunger and Fire: Power at the Expense of Lives."

As for the negative effects of the already rooted Armenophobia in the Azerbaijani society, it primarily affects the formation of trust between the Armenian and the Azerbaijani societies. This in turn has a destructive impact on the Karabakh conflict settlement process. And those people, particularly activists, human rights defenders, who "dare" to deviate from their government's political line and consider Armenians, not as an enemy, but a neighbor with whom they can communicate and seek cooperation, are currently in jails. This, of course, shows that the Azerbaijani authorities are not inclined to peace, they do everything to hinder it and to fail the efforts of so many years.

Given all this and the approaching wave of threats, it is necessary first of all not to yield to the Azerbaijani propaganda, be more alert and if necessary use antithesis. In this sense, of course, the media should also have its certain role. Their task is to show the real picture with their publications and disperse the fog of the Azerbaijani propaganda.