Baku: Azerbaijan's Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) has issued a response to an article published on the Carnegie Endowment's Russia and Eurasia Center website. The article, titled 'Azerbaijan's 'Neither War Nor Peace' Strategy Is Limiting Rapprochement with Armenia,' was authored by Bashir Kitachaev.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the AIR Center's statement highlighted that this is not the first instance where the Carnegie Endowment has been accused of presenting a one-sided view of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations. The Center criticized Carnegie's perceived ideological rigidity, arguing it hinders a balanced evaluation of developments between the two nations. The AIR Center refuted the article's claim that Azerbaijan has adopted an ambiguous post-conflict strategy, suggesting instead that this viewpoint stems from a selective interpretation of recent events and lacks a comprehensive understanding of the legal and historical context of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
The AIR Center addressed the article's attribution of adversarial narratives in Azerbaijani society to political mobilization, emphasizing the historical roots of these sentiments. The statement pointed to the First Karabakh War, during which Armenian forces occupied a significant portion of Azerbaijani territory, displacing hundreds of thousands of people. These events, coupled with ethnically targeted violence, continue to influence societal perceptions and collective memory in Azerbaijan.
The response also critiqued the article's focus on anti-Armenian discourse in Azerbaijan, noting it largely ignores the historical background and the similar sentiments present in Armenian society. The AIR Center argued that such asymmetrical analysis narrows the scope of understanding and fails to account for the reciprocal nature of societal attitudes shaped by prolonged conflict.
Moreover, the article's suggestion that Azerbaijani references to 'historical Azerbaijani territories' imply ongoing territorial claims was countered by reaffirming Azerbaijan's official stance, as articulated by President Ilham Aliyev, that Baku holds no territorial claims against Armenia. The AIR Center also pointed out Armenia's constitutional references that imply territorial claims against Azerbaijan, urging for amendments.
A significant concern for Azerbaijan remains the displacement of over 250,000 Azerbaijanis from Armenia between 1988 and 1992. The AIR Center emphasized Azerbaijan's readiness to support the return of these individuals as part of a broader peace framework, in line with international legal instruments.
The statement highlighted Azerbaijan's proactive role in initiating the peace process post-Second Karabakh War by proposing peace principles consistent with international law. It noted 2025 as a pivotal year for developments between Azerbaijan and Armenia, with Baku advocating for practical steps towards signing and ratifying a peace agreement. Azerbaijan's recent actions, such as facilitating grain and petroleum product transit to Armenia, were cited as evidence of its commitment to normalization through confidence-building measures.
Despite these efforts, the AIR Center expressed frustration over Carnegie's reluctance to engage in substantive dialogue on these issues, despite multiple outreach attempts.