Azerbaijan is Either Preparing Actions Against Armenia or Engaging in an Information Propaganda Line: Expert

It is necessary to implement an intelligent information policy that increases public resilience. Azerbaijani expert Tatevik Hayrapetyan addressed the rumors circulating online about Azerbaijan preparing actions against Armenia in her Telegram channel.

"The Azerbaijani media space is filled with materials about the possibility of new actions against Armenia. Both the propaganda press and the MPs, as well as government spokespersons, are building their speeches around the same thesis that negotiations are at an impasse, and a conflict is inevitable, with Syunik being the target. For instance, one of their MPs openly discussed their intentions to attack Syunik in an interview with Georgian media yesterday. Furthermore, there has been an increase in military flights from Israel and Turkey to Azerbaijan over the past few weeks. Websites related to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense report that large-scale military exercises should begin along the territories of Armenia and escalate into actions.

All of this can be done for two purposes: 1) Azerbaijan is indeed preparing actions against Armenia and is very plainly speaking about it. 2) This is an informational propaganda line aimed at inducing panic within the Armenian public and applying the factor of threat of force against the Armenian authorities. In both cases, we are dealing with a policy of applying force and the threat of force.

What can the Armenian authorities do? They should work smartly with their partners, presenting the propaganda materials in conjunction with the operational situation. It is better to take preventive measures now than to wait for escalation and react later. They need to intensively work with the Iranian side. During a meeting between the foreign ministers of Iran and Turkey, Iran reiterated its position on the inviolability of borders. Iran is indeed an important deterrent factor regarding Azerbaijani aggression in the region, so this should be leveraged.

It is essential to implement an intelligent information policy that increases public resilience. The public is mostly being served informational garbage, news that has no connection to reality, which only harms us. Naturally, appropriate measures must be taken in the army. The increase in non-combat deaths is very dangerous, and these should not be concealed but rather examined. Additionally, representatives of the Ministry of Defense should visit the families who have lost sons; it is unacceptable to ignore them," she wrote, adding, "I have serious doubts that any of what I said will be implemented, but I also hope I am wrong. The situation can truly escalate very quickly; we must start working from this moment on."

Recall that earlier, Turkologist Varuzhan Geghamyan wrote that there is a significant probability that Azerbaijan and Turkey will start a large-scale war against the Republic of Armenia in the coming days. We have also published videos showing the movement of personnel and equipment towards the borders with Armenia.