Fakes and real threats: How West finances information war against Azerbaijan

In recent years, especially during the early parliamentary elections, the collective West and its puppets in Azerbaijan have stepped up their efforts to interfere in the internal affairs of our country. Under the guise of freedom of speech and democracy, platforms such as Meydan TV, Azadl?q Radiosu, Azad Söz and other radical opposition resources are waging an active information war against Azerbaijan. Their activities are aimed at destabilizing the political situation in the country, undermining citizens' trust in state institutions and creating the illusion of mass violations and falsifications in the elections.

"Meydan TV" has long been known for its biased and tendentious coverage of events in Azerbaijan. On the day of the snap parliamentary elections, this platform, supported by Western funding, launched a whole campaign of disinformation. Reports of alleged mass violations at polling stations, offensive and derogatory comments about the elected candidates, falsified video materials - this is just part of what was offered to the audience.

In this they were actively assisted by the same Western "democrats", providing the necessary resources to organize the mass distribution of fakes through social networks and messengers.

"Azadl?q Radiosu" has become a kind of mouthpiece for Western propaganda, using the most sophisticated methods of information warfare against Azerbaijan. On election day, their journalists, barely hiding their hostility towards the Azerbaijani state, spread outright fabrications about alleged violations and falsifications. Despite the fact that official international observers recognized the elections as fair and transparent, "Azadl?q Radiosu" continues to spread lies and fabrications, trying to create the impression of mass discontent and protests that did not actually take place.

"Azad Söz" is known for its radicalism and extreme bias. This platform, which positions itself as an "independent" media outlet, turned into a generator of fakes and unreliable information on election day. Any means were used: photomontage, manipulation of facts, quotes taken out of context. Their goal was obvious - to destabilize the situation in the country and undermine confidence in the election results.

These and other platforms have long been instruments of Western propaganda aimed at interfering in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan. Funded from abroad, they systematically undermine stability in the country by spreading disinformation and manipulating public opinion. It is important to note that such activities not only violate international law, but also constitute direct interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.

In recent years, especially before important events such as the early parliamentary elections to the Milli Majlis and the COP29 conference, various Western centers have attempted to organize large-scale provocations in Azerbaijan. Their goal is not only to destabilize the situation in the country, but also to weaken Azerbaijan's position in the region, which has become an important geopolitical center today.

Our country has repeatedly become a target for external influences from various non-governmental organizations, political associations and media networks associated with the West. However, the current campaign has larger goals and strategic objectives. In addition to discrediting COP29 and the Milli Majlis elections, the main goal is to weaken Azerbaijan's position as the leader of the South Caucasus and attempt to return the region to Western influence, thereby provoking a confrontation with Russia.

The Western strategy is based on an attempt to restore Armenia's position in the region, while weakening Azerbaijan's influence. Their plans include creating conditions that will allow the return of Armenian influence in Karabakh and the control of important territories. These actions are aimed at weakening Azerbaijan's position on the Zangezur Corridor and the concept of Western Azerbaijan, as well as neutralizing Baku's position on the opening of the borders between Turkey and Armenia.

However, thanks to the balanced policy of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan managed to prevent the implementation of these plans at an early stage. The concept of creating a "second Armenian state" in the South Caucasus, supported by the West for two hundred years, was destroyed as a result of the 44-day war. The entire South Caucasus region faced a new reality in which Azerbaijan took a key position, actively interacting with all the main world centers of power and preventing the region from becoming an arena for another conflict between Russia and the West.

Despite this, the West continues to try to change the current reality by increasing pressure on Azerbaijan. Modern provocative campaigns developed in the West include many elements aimed at destabilizing the situation in the country and weakening its position. 

Unfortunately, internal opposition forces and "civil society actors" also play a role in these Western strategies. Western centers are actively working to renew their funding channels and deployment of their networks. In recent years, the bulk of the provocative infrastructure was coordinated through Georgia, but now that this network is close to collapse, the West has moved coordination to the Czech Republic. At the same time, preparations for destabilizing actions and training for young Azerbaijanis are being carried out in the Balkan countries, in particular in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to the information received, special provocative groups consisting of Azerbaijani youth are undergoing training in the Balkans. After completing their training, they are planned to be transferred to Azerbaijan to carry out provocative actions timed to coincide with the COP29 conference. The management of these groups and their financing are coordinated from abroad, including with the participation of the well-known provocateur Elman Fattah, one of the founders of the "III Republic".

It should be noted that the "III Republic" was created in November 2023 immediately after the announcement of early presidential elections. The platform was created by order of USAID under the leadership of Samantha Power and aimed at organizing provocations before the elections scheduled for February 7. Although the "III Republic" tried to implement its plans, thanks to the vigilance of the law enforcement agencies of Azerbaijan, it was neutralized. However, it turned out that an entire network was formed around this platform, including media resources such as "Abzas Media" and "Toplum TV", which were actively preparing provocations on the eve of the elections.

In addition, Elman Fattah, as deputy chairman of the Musavat party during Arif Hajiyev's leadership, played a key role in coordinating actions between the Third Republic and radical opposition parties. However, an investigation by law enforcement agencies thwarted this plan.

Recent reports in the Azerbaijani media confirm that representatives of the radical opposition continue active contacts with Western centers, including the European Union. In particular, it became known about a meeting of representatives of the Musavat Party and the Popular Front of Azerbaijan (AXCP) with EU representatives in Baku, where they discussed ways to intensify their activities and continue previously initiated provocative actions.

These actions are coordinated not only within the country, but also abroad, with the participation of foreign emissaries and Western organizations. According to sources, the provocative plans currently being developed are more extensive and sophisticated than ever before. They actively involve both representatives of the opposition and civil society inside Azerbaijan and foreign structures, including the family and son of Ruben Vardanyan, who was arrested and taken to Baku. From the first days of Vardanyan’s arrest, Samantha Power intervened in the process, trying to put pressure on the official authorities of Azerbaijan to release him.

It is important to note that USAID is a major donor and grant-maker for opposition media and NGOs operating in Azerbaijan. In the run-up to COP29, funding was provided to organize a campaign to free Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan, which will be supported both inside and outside the country.

In addition, a group of rebels from among former diplomats continues to form. Former Azerbaijani diplomat Emin Ibrahimov, who collaborated with the PKK and FETO in Western countries, was recently arrested. The investigation into his activities allows us to clarify many aspects of the connections that were maintained in the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

It is obvious that the new provocative plan developed against Azerbaijan is multifaceted and includes a wide range of actions aimed at undermining stability and weakening the country's position.

The recent parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan ended as expected - the process took place in conditions that met all international standards, despite some minor incidents that did not affect the overall outcome. This was confirmed by numerous international and local organizations involved in monitoring. However, against the general positive background, the report of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) once again stood out, which traditionally contained negative assessments. This gave rise to another wave of suspicions that ODIHR observers were coming to Azerbaijan with already formed biased opinions.

This is not the first time that questions have been raised about the extent to which ODIHR reports correspond to reality. For example, on the eve of the elections, the Lent.az website published a document that contained negative conclusions about the voting process, even before it was completed. This pre-prepared report included allegations about shortcomings in the legal framework for democratic elections, restrictions on freedoms, and non-compliance with international standards. Thus, the ODIHR report was ready for publication even before the voting process itself was completed, which raises serious questions about the integrity and objectivity of the mission. 

It is worth noting that the OSCE/ODIHR is only one of more than fifty international structures that monitored the elections in Azerbaijan. In total, the process was monitored by 112,749 local and 598 international observers from 69 countries. When representatives of other organizations give positive feedback, and the ODIHR takes the opposite position, this raises doubts about the impartiality of the latter.

The OSCE/ODIHR is one of the most authoritative bodies in Europe that monitors elections. However, the organization’s constant negative assessments of the elections in Azerbaijan are beginning to look like an instrument of political pressure from the West. The revelation of a prematurely prepared report only increases suspicions that the ODIHR is using its activities to influence political processes in the country.

It is also interesting to note that a significant number of the OSCE/ODIHR mission members in these elections were US citizens. It is noteworthy that the US itself does not invite the ODIHR to observe its elections, believing that its electoral system is sufficiently perfect. However, recent events in the US, where the presidential elections led to a serious political crisis and accusations of large-scale fraud, cast doubt on their "perfection".

Thus, the US, which refuses to allow international observation of its own elections, actively promotes ODIHR participation in elections of other countries, such as Azerbaijan, while ensuring the presence of a significant number of its citizens in the mission. This raises doubts about the honesty of the reports and suggests hidden political motives.

An analysis of the recent elections in Azerbaijan shows that the OSCE/ODIHR report once again stood out for its biased approach, despite the confirmation by the majority of observers that the elections met high standards. It is obvious that international observation should be as objective as possible and serve the interests of transparency, not political manipulation. Azerbaijan, like other countries, deserves honest and constructive criticism, but only on the basis of objective data, not biased judgments.

Azerbaijan must remain vigilant and resist these attempts at interference. The people of our country must be aware of who is trying to manipulate their consciousness and for what purpose, and not succumb to provocations and lies spread by such "independent" media, which in fact are only mouthpieces of Western interests.