The state policy of Azerbaijan is consistently fueled by hate speech, which manifested itself with particular intensity during the 44-day war of 2020 and the post-war period. This hostile rhetoric is directed against the Armenian ethnos, its identity, history, and culture, aiming to deepen animosity and justify Azerbaijan's aggressive actions.
The Azerbaijani state propaganda machine consistently portrays Armenians and the leadership of Artsakh as "separatists" to present the Nagorno-Karabakh issue in international platforms as an action directed against Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. Recently, the circulation of the term "Western Azerbaijan" has gained particular momentum, the purpose of which is to present territorial claims against Armenia based on false historical facts. Azerbaijani officials and the media claim that "Western Azerbaijanis" should return to their "homeland," portraying Armenia as a state that illegally occupies these territories. This rhetoric is accompanied by demands that Armenia must guarantee the safe return of Azerbaijanis.
Azerbaijani state and public figures regularly use offensive, humiliating, and violence-justifying expressions towards Armenians. Manifestations of cultural genocide by Azerbaijan include the consistent destruction of Armenian historical and cultural heritage in the controlled territories, as well as the falsification of historical facts to present Armenian cultural values as Azerbaijani or Albanian or to deny them altogether.
Public statements by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, are a vivid example of how Armenophobia and the intention of ethnic cleansing are voiced at the highest level and subsequently reproduced at other levels by parliamentarians, the media, and experts. In his statements, Armenians are presented as second-class people who must leave Artsakh, and Armenian servicemen are compared to dogs. The media also follows suit, repeating the president's statements and using humiliating expressions towards Armenians. For example, a presenter on the state-owned AZ TV compared Armenians to a "fleeing dog" and mentioned the "Military Trophy Park" opened in Baku, where Armenian military equipment and mannequins of killed and captured Armenian soldiers were displayed.
The concept of hate speech and the international legal regulations against it clearly define the expressions that promote violence, hatred, or discrimination. In 2021, the International Court of Justice of the United Nations obligated Azerbaijan to prevent the incitement and promotion of racial discrimination and hatred directed against Armenians, as well as to prevent the desecration and destruction of Armenian cultural heritage.
The Discourse of "Western Azerbaijan" as a Basis for Aggressive Policy
The term "Western Azerbaijan" first came into circulation in the 1990s, but after 2020, it has become one of the key elements of Azerbaijan's state policy. The President of Azerbaijan and other high-ranking officials regularly declare that the current territory of Armenia is historically "Azerbaijani land," and Azerbaijanis must return to their "homeland."
The idea of "Western Azerbaijan" also aims to root animosity towards Armenians in Azerbaijani society by portraying them as "occupiers" and "enemies."
The hate speech and territorial claims disseminated at the state level in Azerbaijan pose a serious threat to regional peace and stability. The international community must be consistent in condemning this hostile rhetoric and calling on Azerbaijan to respect the norms and principles of international law.