First of all, I love Azerbaijan. I love your country, history and culture so much (not much your dictator but that's a different issue). I think that during much of the Karabakh conflict, you were the right side. However, the military operation in September 2023 raised some question marks in my head. In a few days, 100 thousand Armenians left their homes, just like how Azeris had to leave their homes in the 1990s. Now, I think that there clearly was an ethnic cleansing against Azeris in the 1990s perpetuated by Russian-backed Armenians. I think that it should be more known around the world since it was severe (800 thousand people were displaced). However, the displacement of Armenians in 2023 made it to the world news and it was usually called an "ethnic cleansing". Many people hated Azerbaijan back then (some still do) and it made me so sad because you have a special place in my heart as a Turk.
But, here is the thing. In the West, in order to be accepted as a Turk (or Azeri), you need to make concessions. One of these compromises, for us Turks, is the acceptance of Armenian genocide. Even though it was a two-sided event, in which the Armenians also massacred Turks (and they were supported by Russian and British imperialists), you need to first and foremost acknowledge that Armenians were massacred by Ottoman Empire. First you do that, and then you'll try to explain the Westerners that Armenians also massacred Turks and that is a two-sided event. Then, usually they realise the complexity of the event. But always, the Turks are the side who has to make concessions first. The reason for that could be that the massacres against Armenians were largely published in European press thus they have better acquaintance.
Now let's apply the same logic for Azerbaijan. Much of the Western media published the displacement of Karabakh Armenians in 2023 as an "ethnic cleansing" and it drew some reaction on social media. Many Westerners have acquaintance to that event, and they already have a bad impression of Azerbaijan. Yet very few of them know about the displacement of Azeris. For them, Azerbaijan is the "bad side". You need to change this perception. But, you can't do this by saying "we didn't do anything" or "they deserved it". It would only increase the pro-Armenian sentiment among them. What you need to do is to acknowledge that you're not perfect, humanly accepting your wrongdoings, and THEN to tell people politely about your own sufferings. Think of this as a precondition. Trust me, people will listen to you and ask questions. That way, you can somehow change the pro-Armenian sentiment among them to, well not maybe a pro-Azerbaijani one, but a much more neutral one.
Yesterday there was a post called "Why is Azerbaijan such an unpopular country in popular culture?" That post inspired me to write this post. Somebody there argued that Azerbaijan removed Armenians from their ancestral lands, and surprisingly it was upvoted. Are they the upvotes from real Azeris? Cause if that's the case, it gives me hope for actual peace. So, do you guys agree that there was an ethnic cleansing against Karabakh Armenians in 2023?
