Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Jan. 7 called Armenia effectively a "fascist state," claiming that Baku might have no other choice but to "destroy" its neighbor's so-called "fascist ideology."
Azerbaijan and Armenia are bitter rivals, having clashed in multiple territorial and ethnic conflicts since they gained independence three decades ago.
Speaking in an interview with local television channels, Aliyev accused Armenian authorities of being bearers of a "fascist ideology" for 30 years, shaping the country in their image. He also called Armenia a "threat to the region."
The Azerbaijani strongman issued thinly veiled threats against Armenia, saying that "fascism must be destroyed. It will be destroyed either by the Armenian leadership or by us. We have no other choice."
In September 2023, Baku's forces captured the Nagorno-Karabakh region, de jure Azerbaijani territory that, at the time, was de facto ruled by ethnic Armenian authorities and had been a key point of contest between the two countries.
Almost the entire 100,000-strong Armenian population fled the region following Azerbaijan's lightning offensive.
As Yerevan and Baku lead bilateral talks on normalizing relations and settling outstanding border disputes, Armenian authorities have accused Azerbaijan, currently the stronger player in the region, of planning further hostilities.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said last December that the Azerbaijani side received proposals on two unresolved issues in the negotiations but has yet to respond.
"If Azerbaijan also doesn’t have intentions to attack Armenia, then the likelihood of escalation in the region is zero," Pashinyan said in an interview last month.
Aliyev also called on France and other countries to stop providing arms to Armenia and take back the weapons already provided. Yerevan has deepened security cooperation with the West after its traditional ally, Russia, did not step in to prevent Azerbaijan's attack in 2023 despite having peacekeepers deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
(Updated: )
