His remarks echoed a January warning about external forces continuing to fuel antagonistic narratives against Azerbaijan. According to Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s successes between 2020 and 2023 have led to global shifts, as the victory in the Second Karabakh War, transcending local significance, became a major topic on the international stage. Consequently, interested parties are working to ensure Azerbaijan doesn’t live peacefully in the future.
From experience, Azerbaijan knows that anti-Azerbaijani fervor often escalates before major international forums hosted by Baku. This was seen ahead of events like the Eurovision contest and the European Games. Now, with COP29 on the horizon, anti-Azerbaijani forces have rallied again, refusing to accept the current realities in the region.
Recently, around 60 U.S. congressmen and senators called on the Secretary of State to “pressure Azerbaijan” before COP29. Following this, the Dutch Parliament adopted two one-sided resolutions against Azerbaijan, and the European Parliament issued a defamatory resolution accusing Baku of “human rights violations, breaches of international law, and issues with Armenia.” A couple of Icelandic MPs then urged their government to “boycott the COP29 summit.”
All these actions were accompanied by French politicians’ anti-Azerbaijani statements. Yesterday, Iraqi media outlet Rudaw reported a suspicious package on a Baku street, later clarified by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs as an innocuous food delivery package.
It’s clear that, amidst this “anti-Baku clamor,” countries initiating anti-Azerbaijani measures are trying to sidestep financial obligations under the climate agenda. Meanwhile, Baku, acknowledging the link between conflicts and the escalating climate crisis, has launched a flagship initiative calling for a ceasefire in honor of COP29 and has committed to uniting the Global North and South during its COP29 presidency. As a priority, President Aliyev highlighted addressing the climate challenges facing small island developing states: “We will ensure that the voices of these small island nations are heard clearly and loudly.”
But do these external forces pay attention to Baku’s initiatives? If they did, they might have reported on the Baku Declaration issued by the recent Global Summit of Religious Leaders on November 6, which emphasized the importance of strengthening intercultural and interfaith connections, national cultural values, and climate awareness.
On November 7, so-called EU “observers” stationed in Armenia monitored sovereign Azerbaijani territory for almost half an hour. Are such actions acceptable?
It’s unsurprising that anti-Azerbaijani forces ignored an incident yesterday when an Azerbaijani soldier in Goranboy’s Gülüstan village triggered a landmine left by Armenian forces. None of Azerbaijan’s critics has ever taken an objective look at the issue of landmine terror, exacerbated by Yerevan’s refusal to provide accurate maps of mined areas. Nor are they likely to, given that these forces feel little need to defend the norms and principles of international law.
In this context, President Aliyev’s recent emphasis on ideological security resonates, especially amid the ongoing provocations orchestrated by interested entities. As he emphasized, although anti-Azerbaijani efforts have yielded “no results thus far due to the strong will of our people and national spirit,” Azerbaijan must remain prepared to “expose all the dirty games played against us.” This commitment extends across official, public, and media spheres.
Understanding what drives these actions against Azerbaijan is essential, especially as, in Aliyev’s words, “the Azerbaijani people today fully understand who our friends and foes are. The main criterion is each country’s stance on restoring our sovereignty.”
Let us not forget this!
Teymur Atayev
