The denial of the Armenian Genocide in Azerbaijan

Along with Turkey, Azerbaijan is actively engaged in the denial of the Armenian Genocide, regularly issuing statements that reject the truth. The Azerbaijani leadership, along with its "academic circles" and the media, organize events, fabricate facts, and make baseless accusations against Armenians. Such events often occur, on the eve of the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. For example, in April, a panel discussion was held in Ankara, co-organized by the Azerbaijani Embassy, under the absurd title "Armenian atrocities against Turkic people in the South Caucasus and Anatolia.” During the event, the president of the Turkish Historical Society, “historian” Yüksel Özgen, stated that the topic of “Armenian atrocities” was insufficiently covered, claiming that “Armenians organized mass killings and blamed the Turks” and that they had “archival information about Armenian atrocities against Turks during World War I.” Furthermore, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Turkey, Rashad Mammadov, stated that “imperialist forces incited the Armenians to provoke genocide against the Turks.”

In that case, a question arises: if they have gathered information from archives and the topic has not been sufficiently studied, what have Özgen and other history falsifiers been doing all these years? Have they been idle, or have they simply not had the time to discuss the topic? Moreover, if “Armenians killed Turks in Anatolia,” then why is there no Armenian left there today?

Such denialist “arguments” are, in fact, nothing more than mirror accusations. These “arguments” can be loosely divided into two categories: outright denial—claiming that such events never occurred, and more subtle denial, meaning ignoring or downplaying the significance of the events, rationalizing them by referring to the “intricate situation during World War I,” claiming that “other forces used Armenians against the Ottoman Empire,” accusing Armenians of betrayal, and so on. All of these false justifications and rationalizations are also present in the arsenal of Azerbaijani denialist policy.

Ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in 2015, Ilham Aliyev expressed his readiness to support Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in denialist efforts. “Turkey and Azerbaijan will jointly counter the lies of the Armenians regarding the genocide,” said Aliyev.

In 2021, when U.S. President Joe Biden used the term “Armenian Genocide” in his annual address, Aliyev labeled Biden’s decision as a historical mistake, claiming it dealt a “serious blow to cooperation in the region.”

Azerbaijani efforts go beyond merely standing alongside Turkey in denialism. In Azerbaijan and other countries, so-called cultural and anti-scientific events are held. Sometimes, books are published by reputable publishing houses and well-known scholars, further spreading the narrative of Armenian Genocide denial.

Turkey's denialist policy serves as an inspiration for Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan's support for Turkey in this regard has another aim: Azerbaijan itself is trying to deny the Armenian presence in the region. Baku's denialism, along with its aggressive, xenophobic policies and genocidal actions, are part of a strategy to practically implement these aims.

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