New Fake Map from Azerbaijan: The Appetite Has Increased

In the Azerbaijani sphere of social networks, the Azerbaijani propaganda machine has begun circulating a new map, in which certain territories from Armenia, Iran, and Russia are presented as part of Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani state propaganda machine has labeled this map as the "historical map of Azerbaijan."

Garnik Davtyan noted in an interview with Auroranews.am that the circulated material resembles a textbook or educational booklet. In other words, it has the appearance of a book cover, but at this moment he cannot definitively say what it is, as there is currently no information about the map being distributed.

Davtyan emphasized that Azerbaijan has long made territorial claims not only against Armenia but also against Iran, Russia, and other countries in the region. Since around 2003, they have been quite active in distorting historical facts and presenting fake maps aimed at the so-called restoration of "historical justice." He sadly notes that the Azerbaijani propaganda machine is working actively and effectively.

"For years, they have reinforced in people's consciousness that ‘historical justice’ has been violated and that it must be restored through war. This was clearly visible after the events in Tavush in 2020 when many young people took to the streets in Azerbaijan demanding war. In order for the demand for war to be 'justified,' they are trying to convince people that the policy of territorial acquisition led by the dictator Ilham Aliyev is justified by 'historical grounds,'" Davtyan recalled.

To the question of whether any response can be expected from Iran or Russia, he stated that at this stage, no, since this map has not yet appeared in the media and is being circulated for internal consumption. However, it should not be underestimated. Davtyan added that if it gains widespread media coverage, the first response, in his opinion, will come from Iran.

Returning to Azerbaijani propaganda, he noted that the propaganda machine employs all possible methods—falsifying textbooks, maps, and instilling hatred based on national and religious grounds—specifically targeting us, the Armenians.

"For public support, the Azerbaijani leadership is also doing serious work in the educational sector. Through books, films, and maps that entirely falsify historical facts, they are shaping the consciousness of people to restore the ‘historical justice’ they envision through war. It is evident from Azerbaijani propaganda materials that their ultimate goal is the eradication of the Armenian state and to maintain only 1,000-2,000 Armenians in our historical territories as a minority," emphasized Azerbaijani expert Garnik Davtyan, adding that when studying maps created by Turkey's ‘National Pact’ and Azerbaijan, it becomes apparent that there is an ancient dream shared by the two adversarial countries—to divide Armenia between them, resulting in Eastern Armenia passing to Azerbaijan, while Western Armenia would become part of Turkey along with Yerevan.