Baku wants to forget the suffering of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian population and pretend no one remembers anything, says Zatulin

Azerbaijan continues to escalate anti-Russian rhetoric, using any pretext available. According to Svobodnaya Pressa, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ayhan Hajizadeh said this, commenting on an interview given by Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky to RT.

As noted, Medinsky had stated that if the conflict in Ukraine is stopped at the frontlines and no real peace agreement is reached, the region will turn into a huge Nagorno-Karabakh.

In response, Ayhan Hajizadeh said that “such a comparison is inappropriate because Azerbaijan has never violated the territorial integrity of any country nor has it waged an aggressive war against any state.”

State Duma member and Director of the CIS Countries Institute Konstantin Zatulin told the news website that Azerbaijan is putting itself into a frenzy, demanding that everyone not only unconditionally recognize the current situation but also forget what preceded it.

“Twice—in 2020 and 2023—Azerbaijan launched military operations, resulting in Nagorno-Karabakh coming completely under Azerbaijani control. The consequence was the complete expulsion of the Armenian population,” Zatulin noted, adding that Azerbaijan now presents the situation as if nothing had happened in Nagorno-Karabakh before 2020. While, in fact, a negotiating group existed and was active; Baku itself acknowledged the need for a peaceful resolution. Ultimately, Azerbaijan disrupted these negotiations and preferred war, despite the fact that both sides were close to resolving the issue amicably.

According to Zatulin, Baku wants to forget the suffering of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population.

“As for Azerbaijan, it attacks anyone who even mentions Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku is free to be oblivious and pretend that no one remembers anything,” Zatulin said.

He noted that Azerbaijan wants everyone to quickly forget that Armenians once lived in Nagorno-Karabakh. However, Armenians lived there long before the Azerbaijani people appeared.

In Zatulin’s view, Azerbaijan is no longer as interested in Russia as it once was. It certainly does not reject ties with Russia considering its economic interests but is no longer an ally; Azerbaijan is the strategic partner of Turkey. “And I don’t understand the logic when someone relies on a strategic partnership with Azerbaijan,” the deputy added.