Expert on Azerbaijani  studies warns of impossibility of achieving  peace with Azerbaijan in current realities

ArmInfo. Not a single Armenian leadership before Nikol Pashinyan's government had ever negotiated with Azerbaijan to the detriment of Armenia's state interests. This was stated by Tatevik Hayrapetyan, an expert on Azerbaijani studies, during the panel discussion "Incitement to hatred in Azerbaijan: Key Findings of the Report" on April 22.

"Each government passes on its diplomatic legacy to the next. And in  the current realities, it may turn out that those who inherit  Pashinyan's legacy will find themselves in a reality from which they  will not be able to escape," the expert added. In this vein,  Hayrapetyan highlighted the stance of Azerbaijani President Ilham  Aliyev, who, since taking office, has clearly declared his commitment  to a military resolution of the conflict, referring to it as his  mission. Additionally, the expert pointed out a common  misconception  that the hateful statements of Azerbaijanis only surfaced with the  emergence of the Artsakh issue. She also emphasized the increase in  Armenophobic rhetoric within Azerbaijani society following the 44-day  war in Artsakh.

"After the 44-day war in 2020, these hateful statements are being  heard more and more often. Azerbaijanis are already portraying  Armenians as "barbarians and jackals". It is noteworthy that such  statements are coming from President Ilham Aliyev and are being  widely quoted  in state media and in history textbooks," the expert  noted. Hayrapetyan also touched upon the new narrative in the  Azerbaijani campaign against Armenia, specifically the term "Western  Azerbaijan". She drew attention to the fact that although this term  was first used in 1998, its prevalence increased significantly after  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recognized Artsakh as part of  Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani expert highlighted that it was from that  point onwards that this name started appearing in all school  textbooks,  indicating its political agenda and ambition to not only  take over Artsakh, but also the entire territory of Armenia. "Later,  Aliyev began referring to Armenia as  a fascist state in his  statements, prompting us to consider the challenges of achieving  peace with Azerbaijan under these conditions," Hayrapetyan added. The  Azerbaijani expert also mentioned that since 2020, Azerbaijan has  been targeting all those who talk about peace or had any ties to  Armenians. She noted that everyone in Azerbaijan who opposed the use  of force in resolving the Artsakh issue is currently in custody.