It must be noted that despite Azerbaijan’s threats of blacklisting those who visit Karabakh, the number of official and artistic visitors grows year by year which cannot go unnoticed by the Azerbaijani side.
They can see that draconian measures not only fail to discourage visits to Karabakh but also increase in inverse proportion the number of names on the list which means that these people will refrain from visiting Azerbaijan.
Abulfaz Garayev, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, claims to see through this devious scheme: ‘’Armenians are implementing a willful policy trying to rob Azerbaijan of famed artistic figures and take various singers to Karabakh by deception”.181
Reporters without borders, which is an international organization defending the freedom of the press has voiced its concern over the situation where the Azerbaijani authorities restrict the work of journalists who cover the Karabakh conflict. “In doing their work, journalists must enjoy freedom and unimpeded movement without having to obtain the permission of any party. Blacklisting journalists is inadmissible and inefficient,” says the press release of the organization.182
Using visits to Armenia as a pretext to deny entry to persons who constitute a threat for the country’s political regime is yet another peculiarity of the blacklist. It was the case in the situation with a journalist Milrad Fatullayev who was an ethnic Lezgin.183
A working visit turned sour for Milrad Fatullayev with his less-than-pleasant stay at the airport of Baku where he had to spend a whole day locked up by the border guards. No intelligible explanation was given as to the reasons of Fatullayev’s detention. <…> “Absence of any justification is the most interesting justification. Because I came here, to the Baku airport, at 3 o’clock in the morning, my passport was taken from me for control and I never got it back. In addition, I was given no explanation; here I am sitting and waiting. <…> I remember a similar case when I was checked in the same way in Baku after I had been to Armenia, but that was a year and half or two years ago. <…> At that time, I could go through the controls and returned to Moscow after visiting Azerbaijan. So, I thought that now it was about the same thing. I kept waiting, but by 5 o’clock I made up my mind to figure out what the matter was. <…> I introduced myself as a journalist of Nezavissimaya Gazeta newspaper to an officer who tried to expose me as a person who was breaking the law. Well, I stood there trying to explain to him that I came there to a specific person for a specific reason.<…> As I could learn, I was denied entry to Azerbaijan because of taking part in a conference held in Yerevan and initiated by Mr. Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan. Another Dagestani journalist, Marko Shahbanov, the leader of Avar National and Cultural Autonomy, had earlier faced problems attempting to gain entry to Azerbaijan.<…> While crossing the border, he also underwent a verification procedure, but was allowed to go through in the end. Last year, I also had my documents checked, but they finally let me go through. Now again, there are Azerbaijanis coming up to me and asking: “What is it? Have you been to Karabakh?” No, I haven’t been there”.
Alexander Lapshin (Puerrttо), a traveler well-known in the blogosphere for visiting various countries and crossing countless borders, describes how to bluff your way past customs officers at the Georgian-Azerbaijani border:
“Things were quick and easy on the Georgian side. Next, I walked over a border bridge and set foot in Azerbaijan. There, everything was very different from Georgia. The setting epitomized an unmistakable Soviet spirit. Georgian policemen wearing smiles and nice uniforms were replaced by gloomy tommy gunners wearing soviet military fur hats with earflaps, while numerous signs reading ‘’Bribery is punishable by 7 years of imprisonment” were replaced by ubiquitous portraits of the Aliyevs: both father and son. A very cold and standoffish man in plain clothes demanded: “Passport”. I handed my passport over to him. He examined it for a long time scrutinizing every page. For some reason, he tried to scratch my Georgian visa with his fingernail <…>. Next, he said something to me in the Azerbaijani language. I replied that, regretfully, I didn’t speak Azerbaijani and asked in my turn: “Do you speak English?” in case the man did not speak Russian. He smirked at me and said in an immaculate Russian: “In fact, I asked you in Armenian”. Wow, can it be possible that an Armenian works in the Azerbaijani State Security Service? That was incredible. So I asked him: “I beg your pardon, are you Armenian?” His eyes popped out in shock. “What?? What makes you think that I am Armenian? I am Azerbaijani. Then, I asked him why on earth had he spoken to me in Armenian? He cut me short: “That’s it, enough talking, if I ask, I do it for a reason”.
Another minute went by as he examined my passport for the fifth time. Then, all of a sudden, he shot a question at me: “Have you been to Armenia?” I answered in the affirmative sensing that I was up for a tough conversation. Then the officer went off with his next question: “And you must have been to Karabakh too, right?” I replied that these were only his assumptions and unfounded at that. He looked up: “So you must be a lawyer then?” I let the remark go unanswered. He tapped me on the shoulder and said: “Welcome to Azerbaijan!” So, I got another stamp in my passport.184
On August 2, 2013, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan published a list consisting of 335 names placed on the blacklist.185 Despite the assurances of the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Elman Abdullayev to the effect that “illegal visits to the occupied territories of the Republic”186 were the underlying reasons for that, over 50 persons were blacklisted without any reason specified.
6. Ban on positive attitude to Armenians
Another essential component of the blocking policy against Armenia and inculcation of armenophobia implying a complete dehumanization of Armenians is the ban on any references that may potentially showcase the human qualities of Armenians and portray them as possessing creative and benevolent traits. All potential avenues towards personal contacts apt to cause the shattering of propaganda clichés, which translate into a huge cost in terms of money, resources and time, are shut off.
The representatives of the country’s intellectual, political and cultural elite are recruited to partake in this process, administrative leverage is exercised, while all recalcitrant persons take heavy punishment becoming obstructed and divested of any opportunity to pursue their professional activities.
Or, inversely, upon accomplishment of the public repudiation of Armenians as a concept, feelings of sympathy towards Armenians can be used as a sufficient ground to ostracize an out-of-favor opponent often in political and not infrequently in professional, social and daily life.
Siyavush Novruzov, Member of Parliament, deputy executive secretary of the ruling party Yeni Azerbaijan: Rustam Ibragimbekov, who held the meeting of the National Council in a hotel that belongs to an Armenian, proved once again his alliance with Armenians <…> Rustam Ibragimbekov has good relations with Armenians. He openly stated that he held Armenians in great respect and esteem. In one of his interviews, he even said that after the Armenians left Baku, our capital city sank low in cultural sense. How can a person with such thinking lead Azerbaijan?187
Techniques to impact the public perception of Armenians can be distinguished according to their object, extent and form.
Target I. Marginalizing interaction with Armenians
In this case, the same techniques are employed as described above. Marginalizing all interactions with Armenians over social networks188 can be classified as another manifestation of this ban, with persons considered to be the most reputable for a specific social group, including politicians, scientists and artistic figures of different levels recruited to put in their weight to impact their respective target groups. Verbal abuse in respect of Armenians is held in an especially high social esteem and is considered to be a display of patriotic feelings.
Aydin Mirzazadeh, Member of Parliament: When some residents of Baku lapse into sentimentality and search for their former classmates and neighbors among Armenians or even add them to their friend list, they must pause and think how friendly the feelings of the opposite side are.
Nizami Jafarov, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Cultural Issues: With the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh still pending, cooperation with Armenians at any level is an act of treason. You can negotiate, discuss political matters, resolve cultural problems, but befriending Armenians, with Armenia occupying our lands, is inadmissible. This is a feigned friendship!
Zahid Oruj, Member of the Standing Parliamentary Commission on Security and Defense: Such friendly ties are absolutely unacceptable, because they create an impression that we are free from problems with Armenia, that we are not in a state of war with them, and they did not occupy our lands. In general, all friendly visits to Armenia and Nagorno-Garabakh as part of popular diplomacy are unacceptable, as they lead to the freezing of the conflict and contribute to resolving legal matters in favor of Armenia. The history has shown the price that Azerbaijan had to pay for its friendship with Armenia: how much of our land went to Armenians in the Soviet times, how much more has been occupied… Friendship with Armenians can virtually result in another strategic grab of the Azerbaijani territories in the future. Therefore, the Ministry of National Security must take a partial control of all messaging that goes through this website.
Vafa Guluzadeh, political analyst, an advisor to the former government: There can never be any friendship between us and Armenians firstly, because a sea of blood has been shed and secondly, there is Russia that pits Armenia against Azerbaijan using them to fulfill its own agenda.
Sayga Jahid, anchorperson and producer: Of course, there are many active Armenian users on this website trying to contact Azerbaijanis. It has also happened to me, but I immediately removed them because they are our enemies. We must refrain from entering into any correspondence with them. I have a negative attitude about those who do so, and especially singers. They must be ashamed!
Farid Rzayev, anchorperson of the V.I.P Club TV show: I am a user of this website and I found there many of my friends and relatives. However, any communication with Armenians is out of the question. Why do we have to communicate with them? And if an Armenian tries to contact me, I blacklist him.
Orhan Rzayev, anchorperson of the V.I.P Club TV show: I would like to add up to the words of my brother Farid that the website odnoklassniki.ru has many Armenian users. They may pretend to be angels, but we must not be deceived by that. We have only one enemy, and it is Armenians. We must not forget that as early as in their infancy, it is whispered into their little ears: “In the future, you will become a citizen of the Great Armenia, and you have only one enemy, and it is the Turks.
Ilkin Hasani, anchorperson at the TV show ATV Magazine: May I be damned if I ever communicate with Armenians. I have sent them a couple of messages but only to fight them virtually.
Faytoncu Nazim, singer: Corresponding with Armenians is no good. They’re our enemies. Befriending Armenians who have grabbed over 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands is a complete absurdity. I am also against it.
Agil Abbas, Member of Parliament, writer and journalist: I have two sons who occasionally visit Armenian sites. They can give quite a harsh reply to Armenians and so make their own contribution to the information war. I personally consider it weird that young people correspond with Armenians. If it is done out of friendship, then they are fools, and I will repeat – fools. We may resume our contacts with Armenians only after they kneel down before us and ask forgiveness for Garabakh. The people, who visit this website for a friendly exchange of messages with Armenians, are not Azerbaijanis.
The Azerbaijani website Unсоqtа. az website published an article entitled ‘What is the link between the correspondent of Zerkalo newspaper and Armenians?’ in which the journalist Yelena Malakhova is accused by her Azerbaijani colleagues of communication with her Armenian acquaintances over the web. The article says that despite the Karabakh conflict, Armenians live in Azerbaijan, “but it does not mean that they are not our enemies”. “Armenians who live among us have been naturalized, but we must know our enemies by sight”, says the article and points that every citizen of Azerbaijan must know it and refrain from close interaction with Armenians.”The correspondent of Zerkalo newspaper Yelena Malakhova seems to have forgotten this simple truth. This lady has recently been to Belgium as part of the EU European Neighborhood Policy Program. In Brussels, Malakhova walked with the delegation of Armenian journalists and took pictures with them. The pictures clearly show warm relations of Yelena Malakhova with Armenians. Now she communicates with them over Facebook and posted there a picture with Alla Serobyan”, airs its indignation the Azerbaijani news outlet.189
Faig Agayev, People’s Artist of Azerbaijan criticized on his Facebook page those of his compatriots who Liked the Armenian magazine Yerevan. “I don’t quite understand… what kind of Azerbaijani could have Liked this? Do you realize what you Like? You must be ashamed”, wrote Agayev and stated that he had a right to express his opinion as a citizen of Azerbaijan and a People’s Artist.190
Vagif Semedoghlu, People’s Poet of Azerbaijan, former Member of Parliament: I have never taken part in any meetings between Azerbaijani and Armenian intellectuals and I will never do so. I will never set foot in any such meeting. What is the use of such meetings, if you know in advance that nothing good comes out of it?191
Target II. Marginalizing those who still communicate with Armenians
In this case, the same mechanisms are employed as in cases described above, the only difference being that outrage targets other Azerbaijanis who have broken the taboo and contacted Armenians. The mildest punishment for doing so comes down to rejection and calls to boycott the culprit. The worst case scenario may go as far as a questioning by the representatives of security services or even an arrest.
Ilhama Guliyeva, khanende Alibaba Mammadov and Arif Babayev, People’s Artists of Azerbaijan192 condemned a young Azerbaijani singer who performed a mugham accompanied by an Armenian band of Armen Alexanyan in one of Moscow restaurants.
Arif Babayev, People’s Artist, presidential scholarship holder: This is very, very bad. As if it were not enough that they are stealing our national music, this incident is just too much. I personally would never perform with Armenians.
Ilhama Guliyeva, People’s Artist of Azerbaijan: I do not even want to discuss this matter. We must first find out what this is young girl’s ethnicity and why she committed such a deed. In general, I consider it to be a disgraceful fact for an Azerbaijani.
The social networks saw an onslaught of a harassment campaign against the Meritorious Artist of Azerbaijan Aybeniz Hashimova and her daughter Aynishan Guliyeva. Aynishan, whose father was killed in Karabakh war, represented Azerbaijan at Slavianski Bazaar-2011 song contest. As reported by the website Fаktxeber.соm, some information about Aynishan befriending Armenia’s representative Narek Margaryan surfaced on the Facebook network.
“She and her mother have even had themselves photographed with an Armenian. How can a shahid’s daughter who represents Azerbaijan befriend an Armenian?” says the website airing its indignation and reminding its readership that “it must be never forgotten that Armenians are the eternal enemies of Azerbaijanis”.193
A famous singer Tajir Shahmalioglu (Tасir Şаhmаlıоğlu) from the group Nightingales of Karabakh (Qаrаbаg Bulbulleri) became target of public verbal abuse and condemnation after the appearance of a music video where he sang a dual with an Armenian singer (who, as it transpired, was a Yezidi from Armenia, while Tajir himself is a Kurd)194 in one of the Moscow restaurants.
As a result, he was forced to justify himself and reiterate his aversion to Armenians in the press.195 <…> Tajir noted that he did not accept it when Azerbaijani singers performed together with Armenians: “This is just not right. About a year ago, I got a call from Moscow.
It was an Armenian. He told me that they were my fans and offered me a fee of 50 thousand dollars for singing at a wedding. I turned him down and said that I didn’t need his 50 thousand dollars, which I would receive for singing at an Armenian wedding. No matter if it is 100 thousand or 1 million, for me, it equals a penny. Up to this day, when I see images of shahids on TV, I can’t hold back my tears. If my elders deem it necessary in the future, I am ready to go into battle with an assault rifle on my shoulder. And I will give away my life for Azerbaijan”.
Target III. Marginalization of third persons who have contacts in both communities
This category covers singers, actors, political figures, writers and public figures at international or regional levels.
It must be noted that the Azerbaijani side keeps a very close and intent track of all references to Azerbaijan and Armenia on behalf of third persons and reacts sharply to any perceived tilting of the balance. A slightest slant in favor of Armenia is viewed at the western coast of the Caspian Sea as a mortification unleashing an instant response.
Apart from the well-known and repeatedly employed influencing techniques aimed at the domestic audience, other methods efficient in the given community are employed to discredit and marginalize the culprit going as far as to use fictitious evidence.
This happened, for instance, with the Iranian singer Googoosh who was caught singing a song in Armenian (the 60-year-old singer purportedly had an Armenian lover).
The Azerbaijani website Day.Az: We could unearth sensational details about the singer’s decision. These details were communicated by Mr. Salman Pishnamaz, an Iranian national and native of Tabriz, who organizes the tours of Iranian artists in Azerbaijan. “For 2 years, I have been negotiating with her over her tours in Azerbaijan, but she procrastinated all the time. Then I discovered the reason. It became known that her Armenian boyfriend didn’t allow her to go on tour if he couldn’t go with her. And so he said: “She is not going anywhere without me!” fully aware that I cannot invite him to Azerbaijan. Moreover, she preferred to go with him to Armenia. So Googoosh’s Armenian boyfriend didn’t allow her to visit your country”, told S. Pishnamaz in his interview to Day. Az.196
The Azerbaijani website 1news.az: A video has surfaced on the web which shows the famous Iranian singer Googoosh performing an Armenian song Zepyur Kdarnam. The Azerbaijani singer Yaqub Zurufcu declared that he severed all communication with Googoosh: “Now, she is of no interest to me. After this video appeared, we stopped talking. Today, her coming to Azerbaijan is out of the question.197
The Azerbaijani website Azeritоdаy.соm: To be honest, we must think twice whether we need the coming to Azerbaijan of a singer who disregards the fact that Azerbaijan is at war with Armenia and who has continued up to recent years to perform Azerbaijani songs in Armenian.198
Target IV. Countries and their services and goods boycotted by Azerbaijan for their cooperation with Armenians, with Armenia or for a disloyal attitude toward Azerbaijan
Recently, after the French Parliament passed a law criminalizing the negation of the so-called Armenian Genocide, one of popular Azerbaijani radio stations proudly announced that it was about to “stop the broadcasting” of all French songs. In addition, it informed that at the time of signing Armenian-Turkish protocols in Zurich, it had temporarily refrained from airing Turkish songs.199
In 2010, the broadcasting of TV channel Mir was stopped in Azerbaijan because the channel was airing a program entitled “Independence Day: Armenia”. The Azerbaijani cable television KA TV 1 notified its subscribers in Azerbaijan that the rebroadcasting of Mir TV channel on September 21 would be temporarily stopped between 4:05-4:25 p.m. by Baku time.200
The Russian website NR2.ru: The Netherlands company Kales Airline Services, which is a partner of Azerbaijan Hava Yollari (Azerbaijani airlines), was forced under the pressure from Baku to fire its ticket sales agent Mary Sargsyan only because she was Armenian.201
The Azerbaijani website ANS-Press: The online air ticket booking service OneTwоTrip started operating in May 2011 and can draw on a network of over 500 airline companies. The founders are Peter Kutis and Hovhannes Poghosyan. <…> It must be noted that there is a confirmed record of various Armenian products finding their way to the market of Azerbaijan. Thus, there have been repeated incidents of various victuals produced in Armenia (butter, coffee, etc.) appearing in our shops from unknown sources. Recently, there have been increasingly numerous cases of Armenian products permeating the Azerbaijani market. Competent authorities must tighten their control procedures to prevent similar cases in the future.202
The Azerbaijani website 1news.az: The research has revealed that 100 % of surveyed Azerbaijanis answered ‘No’ to the question of whether airline companies operating on the territory of Azerbaijan were entitled to sell tickets for their flights through companies belonging in whole or in part to Armenians.
100 % of the surveyed answered ‘Yes’ to the question of whether the airline companies operating on the territory of Azerbaijan and selling tickets for their flights through companies belonging in whole or in part to Armenians must be punished in some way.203
The success of such campaigns is achieved through their impact on an essential component of all human needs – the need to be a part of the community. The notions of patriotism, affiliation with an ethnic or social group (you are not Azerbaijani) are exploited, and people are intimidated with scary stories from remote and not so remote past (“all Armenians donated money to Krunk; they ripped open pregnant women; a nurse in the maternity hospital squeezed the testicles of new-born Azerbaijani boys” etc.)
Here, the help of people who are highly reputed and respected in a given community is enlisted, so as they showcase by their own personal example the righteous line of conduct from the perspective of the dominating ideology. The fear of being ostracized and castigated, along with the existence of an external devious foe, firmly cements the self-awareness and bears fruit.
The positive reference ban can be conventionally divided into three types:
The first type of the ban on positive reference to Armenians consists in excising all depictions (films, literary works or TV programs) that contain a reference to Armenians in the positive sense or which portray Armenia’s achievements; this ban also extends to engaging in joint projects with Armenians.
After the motion picture In a Southern Town, another film by Azerbaijan’s people’s artist, director Eldar Guliyev went under ban. We refer to the motion picture Hostage in which an Armenian is portrayed as a positive character. According to the film’s plot, an Azerbaijani named Karim becomes a prisoner of Armenia during the Karabakh war. To swap him for another prisoner, the villagers decide to give Karim’s wife an Armenian hostage. Over time, she comes to discover the positive traits of the Armenian man.204
After the information on the involvement of Azerbaijanis from Georgia in the shooting of an Armenian film entitled “Open Door” surfaced on the web, the information agency of Azerbaijan turned for commentary to Zumrud Gurbanli who is one of the leaders of Gheyrat movement for Georgia-based Azerbaijanis and who stated that “no Azerbaijani living in Georgia would ever agree to appear in a film shot by Armenians”.205
The second type of bans consists in stripping the culprit of any chance to pursue a professional activity and firing the person routinely by own wish or on the demands of the staff (the people). The charges of superfluous feelings of sympathy towards Armenians become a sufficient ground to spell doom for the accused.
The journalist Asef Guliyev was fired for his participation in an international conference on Freedom of Information in Caucasus held in Armenia on July 11–14, 2010. Immediately upon his return from Yerevan, the journalist was offered to quit of his own accord. However, he refused to do so. In addition, Guliyev emphasized that he did not represent public television at the conference, but took the trip while he was on vacation.206
On the initiative of the PACE rapporteur on the South Caucasus, Leo Platvoet, and the Chairperson of the delegation of the European Parliament to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, Marie Anne Isler Béguin, a concert by the Caucasian chamber orchestra was given on PACE premises in 2007. The orchestra was directed by conductor Uwe Berkemer (Germany). The organizers’ artistic intent for the concert was that musicians from three countries of the Southern Caucasus showed the harmony needed by the nations of the region. However, the authorities of Azerbaijan forbade Azerbaijani musicians to participate in the concert. Then, the musicians from Armenia and Georgia also played the works of Azerbaijani composers to support their fellow musicians.207
Rovshan Nasirli: On August 12, I was summoned to the Ministry of National Security and questioned why I had voted for the representatives of Armenia. I was accused of not being patriotic because Armenia occupied territory belonging to Azerbaijan. <…> The representatives of special services had the names and telephone numbers of 43 persons who had voted for the Armenian duo whose song ‘Jan Jan’ had ranked tenth in final of the Eurovision song contest held in Moscow in May of this year. <…> If it’s about a war, why then the officials of Azerbaijan, for example, Polad Bülbüloğlu, the ambassador to Russia, as well as members of the parliament visit Armenia?208
The third type of bans concerns in the first place reputed and influential persons taking the form of obstruction, defamation and public vilification in the press and may go as far as to include an entry ban or even threats of arrest.
In 2012, a group of staff members from the Azerbaijan Theater of Young Spectators filed a request with the Ministry of Culture to fire the “mercenary” artistic director Jannat Salimova on the ground that she was a “Zionist and armenophile”.
A. Idrisoglu: “J. Salimova must be released from her position”. <…> “She only engages in staging classical works without giving us a chance to stage the topical works of modern authors”. <…> “In her performances, she discredits the people of Azerbaijan”.209
N. Kyazimov: With her mixed Jewish and Lezgin ethnicity, she treats us, the staff of the theater, as a stepmother. Moreover, in a dispute with a staff member of the theater, she declared: “I love the Jewish people and I want that everybody knows that I have utmost love for the great Armenian people and I bow my head before them”. Though she renounces these words, but facts remain. I think that she must be dismissed, as a person like her has no right to work with our children.210
The case of Rustam Ibragimbekov, in whom the existing system discerned a threat, is quite emblematic. Here, a familiar arsenal of epithets is at play, such as: “Armenian servant”, “armenophile” and other similar abuse.
Yeni Azerbaijan: Rustam Ibragimbekov is ill-mannered, immoral and armenophile. <…> His invitation of the film director Roman Balayan and a certain Rudik Ovanesov who worked in one of Azerbaijan’s Ministries in the soviet times to take part in the Serq-Qerb (East-West) festival in Baku at the expense of the organizers is quoted as evidence of his sympathies towards Armenians.
Niyameddin Ordukhanli, Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijani Popular Front Party for political matters: Ibragimbekov directly serves the interests of Armenia and Russia.
Ibragimbekov was not allowed to enter Baku. At Heydar Aliyev Airport of Baku, after an hour-long detention by the border service, one of the border guards said to the dramatist as he returned him his passport: “We don’t recognize you just as you don’t recognize our supreme commander-in-chief (i.e. the President of Azerbaijan)”. To this, Ibragimbekov replied: “I have never said that I do not recognize him. I said that if he did not recognize me, then I would not recognize him”. Ibragimbekov also pointed out to the border guard: “If you do not recognize me, then I will not recognize you”.211
Ali Ahmedov, executive secretary of the ruling party Yeni Azerbaijan (YAP): Every citizen of Azerbaijan must loathe the approach, thinking and ideology of Rustam Ibragimbekov”, said the deputy chairman in his statement to the journalists on Wednesday. – “Rustam Ibragimbekov, who considers himself an Azerbaijani intellectual, doubts that Karabakh is an Azerbaijani land. I believe that this inflicts a severe damage to the national interests of Azerbaijan.212
Frequently, authorities invoke contacts with Armenians and alleged armenophile feelings against their political opponents in a preemptive strike or in the hope that this may discredit them to the extent of wrecking their career.
Siyavush Novruzov, Member of Parliament, deputy executive secretary of the ruling party Yeni Azerbaijan: This comes to prove once again that Ali Karimli and his clique are ready to be in league with the devil himself to come to power. <…> We have seen this repeatedly. At one time, the people of Ali Karimli even negotiated with Armenians in Georgia and received money from them. And now as elections draw near in Azerbaijan, we have seen how these people together with Armenians act against successful initiatives and reforms implemented in the country as well as against those who serve their motherland. They are ready to cooperate with Armenians only to grab some place in the power structure of Azerbaijan.213
Fazail Agamali, chairman of the political party Ana Vatan, Member of Parliament: I wouldn’t like to specify any names yet, but I have every reason to say that a number of opposition parties of Azerbaijan are funded from sources closely related to Armenia. <…> I have been talking about the Armenian funding of opposition parties for over a year. <…> Non-governmental organizations can also be used for funding purposes”. <…> “He is confident that political parties which accept this assistance fall under the influence of Armenians”, reports Zerkalo newspaper.214
The Azerbaijani website Hurriyyet.net: The information spread through social networks concerning the commander-in-chief of the general staff of the Azerbaijani armed forces, General Najmaddin Sadikhov and his close relative or, more precisely, the son of his uncle by his paternal side who is a serviceman in the Russian military base № 102 stationed in Gyumri (Armenia) has become widely known. It is reported that N. Sadikhov maintains contacts with his cousin who is a colonel on the said military base and meets him at least once a month on the territory of Dagestan. It is of note that despite the fact that this information has been around for quite a while, neither competent law enforcement authorities nor independent military experts voiced their position. This fact itself constituting a very tangible threat to the security of the country should have long come under a thorough scrutiny. However, for some reasons known to all, considering the high rank and standing of the person in question in the country, competent authorities keep their silence. <…>. Abusing his close ties with the leadership of the country, he achieved a position where nobody can point a finger at him and alert to what is obvious. We believe that there will be time when N. Sadikhov will be called to answer for all his deeds, and that day is near.215
Warped notions of a true patriotism and the code of conduct of a pure-blooded Azerbaijani are channeled towards hatred, which is cloaked by the term tolerance and is extensively instilled in the minds of the people convinced of their tolerance which for a known reason omits Armenians.