Armenia’s Representative on International Legal Matters Yeghishe Kirakosyan told the International Court of Justice earlier this week that “Azerbaijan has completed the ethnic cleansing of [Karabakh]”. This follows allegations from its ultra-nationalist diaspora, who are mostly based in France (Paris) and the US (California), in the aftermath of Azerbaijan’s one-day anti-terrorist operation in September. It also comes amidst Armenia’s pro–Western pivot and Russia’s withdrawal from Karabakh. Here’s why it’s untrue:
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1. Only Around 10 Civilians Reportedly Died During September’s Operation
Far from the “genocide” that Armenia and its foreign supporters predicted would unfold during September’s anti-terrorist operation, The Guardian reported at the time that the separatists’ “human rights ombudsman” claimed that only around 10 civilians died. That’s nowhere near the numbers to claim that one ethnic group was being deliberately slaughtered by another and instead amounts to dishonestly crying wolf for the purpose of imugning Azerbaijan’s international reputation.
2. The Armenian Diaspora’s Fake News Fooled Their Co-Ethnics Into Fleeing
Nevertheless, precisely because local Armenians were under the influence of the ultra-nationalist diaspora, they heeded their calls to flee westward across the border in order to escape what they were misled into believing was a supposedly imminent “genocide” after the separatists surrendered. This resulted in a large-scale but voluntary exodus caused by nothing but fake news since no credible evidence has ever emerged proving that Azerbaijan had any such nefarious intentions.
3. They Were Also Tricked Into Distrusting Russian Peacekeepers In Karabakh
The reason why this exodus is described as voluntary is because Russian peacekeepers were deployed to Karabakh since November 2020 with Yerevan’s endorsement to protect the local Armenian population, but the latter were tricked by their diaspora’s fake news into distrusting them. It’s unimaginable that Russia would sit back and let the civilians under its responsibility be slaughtered for the whole world to see, yet that’s exactly what the locals were misled into believing despite being patently ridiculous.
4. It’s Not “Ethnic Cleansing” If A Group Voluntarily Leaves For Whatever Reason
The preceding three points prove that no “genocide” took place and that fake news about Azerbaijan’s intentions fooled local Armenians into voluntarily fleeing after they also were misled into distrusting the Russian peacekeepers whose country’s reputation rested on protecting them. Accordingly, since there was no credible threat to their lives and Azerbaijan even promised them full citizenship rights upon reunification, this large-scale exodus can’t honestly be described as “ethnic cleansing”.
5. The Armenian Exodus From Azerbaijan Most Closely Resembles “White Flight”
In reality, what actually took place was the self-segregation of ethnic Armenians who didn’t want to peacefully coexist with ethnic Azeris, whether due to bigotry or unsubstantiated fears for their safety. Although an imperfect comparison due to differences of scale and speed, this process most closely resembles the “white flight” from America’s inner cities. In both cases, one ethnic group voluntarily fled because they didn’t want to live with another, but nobody calls “white flight” an “ethnic cleansing”.
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Considering the facts that were shared above, those who describe the situation in Azerbaijan’s western region as an “ethnic cleansing” are either innocently misinformed or deliberately lying. It’s incumbent on those who’ve learned the truth about what’s happening there to share it with others. The West is plotting to exploit Armenia’s false claim as the pretext for turning that country into a bastion of influence for dividing-and-ruling the region, and its plans can only be impeded by exposing this blatant lie.
