Against the background of the Armenian hybrid war, the interests of our State are above all!
31.08.2020 / Conferences, assembliesThese days, when the media of some countries generously offer their pages as a platform for a slanderous campaign and, moreover, ignore the right of the slandered side to respond, the world Armenians have significantly intensified the propaganda of Western and Russian public opinion about the Armenianization of Karabakh. A photo article published in the French newspaper Libération on August 26, 2020, which claims that Shusha was an ancient Armenian cultural center and was under Azerbaijani occupation until 1992, the presentation by Russian cosmonaut Igor Wagner of photos of Khankendi taken from space on social networks as "Pictures of the ancient Armenian area", as well as the mention in the textbook "History of Russia" published by the Ministry of Education of Russia for 9th grade students of secondary schools of our territories, which came under the control of tsarism under the Turkmenchay Peace Treaty of 1828, under the name "Eastern Armenia" are the latest results Armenian propaganda.
We must not lose sight of the fact that these results of Armenian propaganda are taking place at a time when Armenia and the fictional regime in Nagorno-Karabakh are making every effort to resettle Lebanese Armenians to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, as well as to prepare for the declaration of Shusha as the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh. Undoubtedly, the ongoing processes are closely related, or rather, are a logical continuation of each other.
The criminal regime in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is preparing to inflict a moral and psychological blow on Azerbaijan by moving its capital to Shusha, is doing everything possible to popularize Shusha, the pearl of the Caucasian Conservatory and Azerbaijani culture, as a historical territory of Armenia. There is no doubt that the moving the center of Nagorno-Karabakh to Shusha, as well as the participation of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan in the provocative military parade in this ancient Azerbaijani city in May this year are intended to humiliate our national pride. It is in this context that one should perceive the fact of including very dangerous provisions on Nagorno-Karabakh in the National Security Strategy adopted recently by Armenia.
Unfortunately, our relevant agencies, experts and Members of Parliament did not approach any of these events, which directly threaten the national security of our country, in particular the analysis of the new Concept of National Security of Armenia, with appropriate sensitivity.
True, Khikmet Hajiyev, Head of the Foreign Relations Department of the Presidential Administration, Assistant to the President, criticized the strategy, stressing that it was based on fictitious historical facts. He noted that it is unacceptable to give such a broad place to history in such political documents. However, it is also true that this fictional story, presented in tears, is one of the important components of the hybrid war that Armenia is waging against our country.
From the 18th century to the present day, Armenians have been systematically working to create a false history and strengthen it from the point of view of source study. This false story, written in the Armenian language, and then leaked into the public opinion of the West and the East due to the wide propaganda opportunities and connections of the world Armenians, is still widely used by Armenian diplomacy. Therefore, the historical factor and its role in shaping public opinion cannot be taken lightly. If we look at scientific sources on Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as on the history of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the leading universities and research centers of the world, we will clearly see how late we are in this work. I wonder in whose favor the opinion of foreigners who study the problem on the basis of subjective sources written from the Armenian position will be, ours or the Armenian one.
But what do we do in this difficult situation? How do we protect our rights? What should be our main objective?
Of course, our problems have many reasons. One of the reasons is the belated and not always adequate reaction of the relevant bodies, our intelligentsia, experts and analysts to the activities of the Armenians. Unfortunately, our intellectual elite and public opinion find it difficult to take preventive measures and do not think enough about the future. Leading forces in society should seriously consider creating mechanisms for the future. In this regard, special attention should be paid to the personnel problem. The organization of an effective foreign policy and diaspora work is based on specific conditions. Personnel working in both directions must know the countries with which they work, their realities, and be able to take appropriate measures. Yes, knowledge of foreign languages is an important factor in diplomacy, but language alone is not enough to train real diplomats. It is important to understand that diplomacy and translation are different areas. Deep analytical thinking, the ability to build communication and establish connections, the ability to feel problems, act promptly, know the enemy well and know the subtleties of their psychology, overcome the power of personal temptation and focus on the interests of the state - these are the qualities that a professional diplomat needs! The negative assessment of the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by President Ilham Aliyev when appointing a new minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, is explained by the lack of these factors. I hope that the serious shortcomings noted by the President will be eliminated by the new leadership in the near future.
It is impossible to effectively fight the Armenian diaspora without understanding the specifics of its activities, operating principles, short-term and long-term goals of propaganda. The conceptual approach is very important in foreign policy, propaganda and lobbying. This is the responsibility of our diplomats, political scientists and researchers of international relations.
Personally, I am not aware of a single scientific research work on the concept of Azerbaijan's foreign policy, which would contain a reasonable, thoughtful, sound and strategic vision. For comparison, during the time of the Democratic Republic, which lasted only 23 months, this issue deeply worried our diplomats and ideologists. "Our Foreign Policy", a small, but rather meaningful work written by the prominent writer, diplomat and public figure Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli, is a vivid example of this search. The writing style and structure of the work correspond as much as possible to the essence of the concept of foreign policy. Our diplomats, political scientists and historians should carefully read this work and draw conclusions from its provisions, especially in the introductory part. Because independent Azerbaijan is in dire need of such a meaningful theoretical work, written in accordance with the conditions of the time.
Speaking of the role of our intelligentsia in propaganda, I must say that their activity is not up to the mark. Can't they use their connections and prestige, periodically turning to world leaders, heads of international organizations, influential scientists and artists to keep the Karabakh issue in the center of international attention? Is it really so difficult to constantly put the consequences of the Armenian aggression on the agenda of the world press? After all, science, art and culture are the most suitable platforms for this.
Over the years, President of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev has done large-scale work to expose and suppress the aggression of Armenia. Mr. President, who takes every opportunity to show the world an Armenian lie and resolutely defend the realities of Azerbaijan, should under no circumstances be left alone in this fateful struggle. We have no moral right to do this. Everyone should properly organize their activities in the area entrusted to them, all resources should be focused on one goal, and everyone should be fully aware of their responsibilities.
The state of the Albanian monuments in Azerbaijan is one of the problems that the Armenians constantly raise. We know very well that from the very first day the Armenian propaganda did its best to give the Karabakh conflict a religious background. The wise and tolerant domestic policy pursued by the Azerbaijani leadership played an important role in the failure of these attempts. But, unfortunately, the Ministry of Culture, unlike the President of our country, cannot properly take care of the Albanian heritage, which is a very important part of our history and is of particular importance in terms of suppressing Armenian propaganda. The neglect that manifested itself over the years has led to the tragic fate of many Albanian monuments, I would even say, the threat of their destruction. I would like to believe that the new leadership of this body, understanding the historical, political and ideological significance of the issue, will be able to show the necessary sensitivity.
The next problem, of course, is the weakness of the scientific basis of our propaganda.
Unfortunately, over the years, our propaganda has relied more on emotion, pathos and massive psychological suggestion than on sources. Our historians persistently tried to prove that there were no Armenians in Azerbaijan before the Gulistan and Turkmenchay Treaties. They moved to these lands only after the arrival of tsarism. However, on the other hand, they claim that the center of the Gregorian church was moved to Echmiadzin near Irevan in 1441 with the consent of the ruler Garagoyunlu and since then has been on the territory of Azerbaijan. There are dozens of documents showing that the Armenians, who were subjects of the Safavids, Afshars, always turned to the rulers of Azerbaijan for concessions and privileges. On the one hand, we rightly declare that the Safavids and Afshars were enormous empires founded by Azerbaijani Turks, and on the other hand, we ignore their correspondence with Armenian subjects. Could there be such incomplete logic? What are we apprehensive of? Yes, before the arrival of tsarism in Azerbaijan, like all other communities, there was a small Armenian community, and they lived as subjects of the states founded by our ancestors. At that time, Armenians lived in Turkey, Russia and many European countries. Do these facts mean the existence of the Armenian state in the countries I have mentioned? Of course not! I have to reiterate that we should not feel apprehensive to face our history! Our past is our truth, and this truth is completely in our favor. If our propaganda is based on historical facts, its effect will undoubtedly be greater.
In the context of the Karabakh conflict and the problem of effective propaganda, I consider it necessary to at least briefly touch upon the situation of the Azerbaijani media. Unfortunately, in many cases our newspapers and electronic media prefer to remain silent on sensitive issues for the country, instead of providing impartial analysis, educating the public and analyzing real threats. If they think they are serving the people, they are wrong. The press is a mirror of society, and this mirror should reflect the true essence of state policy and the development of social and political processes. If the press cannot do this, then it is either incompetent or biased. In any case, it is useless to society. It is no secret that many newspapers and news agencies operating in our country constantly receive financial assistance from the state at the direction of the President. As a result of the President's care, many journalists and editors were provided with housing. But of what benefit have they been to their homeland and country?
There is no benefit to the country by spreading regurgitated, repetitive theses and empty ideas. A true journalist must understand their moral responsibility to the state and people.
In the context of the Karabakh problem, I want to say that the coefficient of efficiency of domestic media, the effect of propaganda in this direction is very low. Citizens should be provided with reliable, fact-based, truthful research. We all know that many Azerbaijani media are constantly losing their audience. I wonder how in an information war, we can rely on the media that does not have the trust of the local population. For his part, the President did his best to develop our national press. Editors, on the other hand, must work hard to deliver powerful articles and breaking news to the public in a timely manner.About a century ago, Y.V. Chamanzaminli, whom I mentioned earlier, painfully wrote about the deplorable state of our newspapers in the article “We have long needed serious press”: “For us, journalism pursues the goal of name, fame, fashion and profit. You see that a man who no one knew existed begins to publish a weekly magazine. Whichever magazine it is, it will cover the costs. The goal of the rulers is to glorify their name for a while. He writes for a few months whatever comes to mind. He repeats other people's ideas, and this completes his journalistic newspaper activity. Like clothes that follow fashion, our press pays tribute to fashion. At one time, the fashion was so cruel that everyone who met imagined himself to be a "manager".”
Unfortunately, these words are still valid today. It is true that some people blame me for the current state of our press. However, this situation often stems from the intellectual level, worldview, personal qualities, spiritual world and philosophy of life of many journalists. If faith, morality, intellect and morality do not change, then it is no use expecting qualitative changes from the renewal of curators.
My words should not be taken as criticism or ill will. These are all my personal views on issues of public interest. I hope that everyone will draw the necessary conclusions from what has been said and understand their responsibility.