“ACNIS ReView from Yerevan” . With the active backing of Ilham Aliyev, a fabricated anti-Armenian theory has been circulated in Azerbaijan and even incorporated into the school curriculum. According to this claim, “historical Armenians” no longer exist. Today’s Armenians, it alleges, are merely descendants of boshas (gypsies) and therefore have no legitimate right to live on this land. This narrative did not emerge in a vacuum. Earlier, Aliyev had publicly declared that the entire territory of Armenia belongs to Azerbaijan—or, as he phrased it, to “Western Azerbaijan.” His fevered imagination was undoubtedly further fueled by Nikol Pashinyan’s notorious “tract” distinguishing between “real Armenia” and “historical Armenia.”
In any case, Baku’s behavior can only be described as a form of Nazi ideology, reminiscent of what prevailed in Germany from 1933 to 1945. Aliyev appears to have adopted the precedent set by fascist Germany—a regime that brought unspeakable disaster upon humanity—casting himself as Adolf Hitler’s unwavering ideological disciple and a diligent continuer of his political course. The facts we will discuss below clearly demonstrate that Azerbaijan is indeed a Nazi state, and that its defective ideology poses a threat not only to Armenia, but also to the wider multiethnic region—most notably Iran and Russia.
Let us first consider what system of governance currently exists in Azerbaijan. We have addressed this issue on numerous occasions, yet it is worth reminding readers once again: Azerbaijan is ruled by an authoritarian, centralized regime where no real opposition exists, elections are purely ceremonial, and all political decisions are made by one man—who, incidentally, proclaimed himself a national hero after the 44-day war in Artsakh. The press operates under strict censorship, and any opinion deviating from the official line is swiftly punished.
Civil society enjoys no freedom either. Many opposition figures, silenced at home, are forced into exile abroad—yet even this does not guarantee safety. Aliyev’s hand often reaches them through his assassins, wherever they may be. If the Absheron despot is so ruthless toward his own people, one can only imagine what he is prepared to do to others—especially Armenians, toward whom he harbors a deep-seated hatred and instills the same hostility in younger generations from preschool age. Among Azerbaijani children, Armenians are cast as the “enemy” in their games—enemies they “kill” with pleasure.
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It is in this environment that children in Azerbaijani kindergartens grow up and, inevitably, become “Ramil Safarovs.” Safarov, a lieutenant in the Azerbaijani army, brutally murdered Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan with an axe in 2004 while attending a NATO-sponsored English-language course in Budapest, Hungary. In 2012, more than seven million dollars were reportedly transferred to an offshore company to secure Safarov’s extradition from Hungary to Azerbaijan, where he was welcomed as a national hero for murdering his Armenian counterpart in his sleep. From an early age, Azerbaijani children are taught Nazi-style propaganda: the cult of the leader, the creation of an enemy image, and the glorification of hatred and hostility. These features, borrowed from Hitlerite ideology, were adopted by the criminal Aliyev clan as early as the 1970s–80s and, in the post-independence period, culminated in the Artsakh war unleashed in September 2020. It was Baku’s anti-Armenian policy that gave rise first to the Artsakh Movement and later to two devastating wars.
Yet Azerbaijan is not content to stop. It continues to arm itself and expand its military capacity. Exploiting the weakness and treachery of Armenia’s current leadership, Aliyev—with the backing of his “elder brother” Turkey and other allies—conquered Armenian Artsakh, a land with millennia of history, and has now set his sights on Armenia proper. He has openly declared that all of Armenia is Azerbaijani territory and must sooner or later be “returned” to its so-called rightful owner. History teaches us that the dens of Nazism in Germany and Italy—both fueled by aggressive nationalism and threats to their neighbors—were eventually destroyed. Undoubtedly, Azerbaijan’s turn will also come, and we will be destined to witness that day.
The Armenian Center for National and International Studies