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What do Washington Post's Ignatius have in common with Vardanian?

12 August 2023 20:13 (UTC +04:00)

Armenians have intensified their Anti-Azerbaijan socio-political activities both at government and diaspora levels after Azerbaijan established a border crossing point in its sovereign border recognized by international law-in the Lachin district on the border with Armenia. Armenians, who have gathered around the Dashnak ideology, coordinate their activities at all levels to increase the international tension on official Baku.

It is being observed that actions against Azerbaijan are being intensified especially on two “fronts” recently- at the international relations level and in international media. As a result, with Armenians’ requests and favors or because of the dividends hoped from the process, the number of foreign politicians’ statements harmonized with Yerevan’s and separatists in Garabagh has increased. In most cases, the ones who don’t have their own opinions about the issue and the ones refraining from writing separate opinions are trying to contribute to a “pan-Armenian cause” by sharing the one-sided, biased articles published in Western media. In this regard, recently, especially the US media has turned into a platsdarm where Armenians’ anti-Azerbaijan information warfare theses are being developed and new ideas are being offered.

Actually, there is nothing unusual here. Because the US acts the way it has for 30 years. It is clear as day that Washington always performs by double standards. Unfortunately, double standards still prevail in the international relations system. It should also be emphasized that there are overwhelming Armenian propaganda resources in the US and all these, of course, don’t pass by without affecting the decisions made. For this reason, American congressmen have become toys in the hands of the Armenian lobby.

The Washington Post, which is close to US State Department, and other media outlets have again started the slander campaign against Azerbaijan. This is not the first case. The press outlets of this country's representations in international organizations, known as the unofficial "press organ" of the State Department, regularly show a biased position against Azerbaijan.

For example, in the last 6 days, 3 articles against Azerbaijan were published in the Washington Post newspaper, which is considered as US State Department’s unofficial press organization. Each of these one-sided, biased, and inaccurate articles focuses on only one side of the issue - "Armenian suffering", and it suggests that they were prepared on the basis of an order or request.

It is no coincidence that all the articles use the keywords from the theses of Armenian officials, trying to manage perception. For example, in the articles, it is repeatedly claimed that Azerbaijan is carrying out a policy of "genocide" against Armenians by "closing" the Lachin road. It is no coincidence that the word "genocide" is repeatedly used and emphasized in theses of Armenians and their patrons. In this way, on the one side, Armenians, whose national identity and national enemy images were built on this word in the last century, are being mobilized for the campaign against Azerbaijan, and on the other side, efforts are being made to trigger international "alarm".

But the fact is obvious, if Azerbaijan had an intention to carry out genocide in Garabagh, it would have manifested itself during the 44-day war. In fact, what stopped Azerbaijani Army, which retook Garabagh, which the separatists and Armenian soldiers had fortified for 30 years, in less than two months, was official Baku’s desire to prevent potential civilian casualties, prevent the enmity between the nations from intensifying this way, as well as not to endanger its Armenian citizens captured by the separatist regime in Khankendi.

Azerbaijan is now offering the Aghdam-Khnakendi road as an alternative to the Lachin road for the transportation of humanitarian cargo, and as the articles note, Armenians are blocking the aid that will be sent to them by erecting concrete barriers on that road. All these steps show that the civilian Armenians in Garabagh are only suffering from the separatist regime’s decisions.

In general, the Armenian diaspora’s and official Yerevan’s efforts in recent days of turning their own Garabagh narratives into the main topic of the international agenda may also have the purpose of distracting attention from the events in Ukraine. Undoubtedly, the most important issue for everyone at the moment is the ongoing war in Ukraine and the humanitarian and economic situation in individual regions.

The Armenians in Garabagh, as well as the Armenian diaspora, trying to divert attention from the main events by forming a new fake agenda (Spin doctor) of the official Yerevan may stem from their cooperation with certain circles.

Of course, the presence of some problem on the agenda does not prevent the discussion of other issues, but in any case, the possibility of such an intention should not be ignored.

What is interesting is, a newspaper like Washington Post dedicates 3 articles to Azerbaijan in the last 6 days, when there are relevant topics right now in the world like Ukraine, and the incidents in Africa.

The fact that the newspaper turns a blind eye to the publication of one-sided articles about Azerbaijan on its pages is an indicator of irresponsibility and bias. For example, the author of one of the last articles is an Armenian by nationality, David Ignatius. Ignatius, who illegally visited Garabagh in 2016, is a close friend of the Russian oligarch Ruben Vardanyan, who was burning with the desire to become a businessman in Garabagh, and was even awarded by his foundation. At the same time, Ignatius, before and after the 44-day war, distributed articles and statements aimed at protecting Armenia and the separatists in Garabagh.

It is not by chance that his "article" about the Lachin road in the "Washington Post" was also prepared in full accordance with the thesis of the Armenians. This article is not only an attempt by Ignatius to re-develop the thesis of Armenians in the "Washington Post", but also an indicator of the campaign against Azerbaijan at the behest of the State Department and pressure.