EurasiaNet — Azerbaijani, Turkish Propaganda

ԱՅՕ՝ ԱՅԴՊԵՍ ԸՍԻ comments on a recent article published by EurasiaNet which quotes only Azerbaijani and Turkish sources desperate to sensationalize unsubstantiated allegations of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) activity in the Lachin corridor connecting Armenia with Nagorno Karabakh. The blog expresses its concern with recent seemingly irresponsible media activity apparently justifying an Azerbaijani or Turkish military excursion into Armenia, Karabakh or both.

Eurasianet.org runs an analysis into the increasing temper of Turkish and Azeri accusations that PKK cells operate out of Nagorno-Karabakh. In recent months the mass media of both countries have been rehashing older stories ran in the 80s alleging the Armenian government of funding and sponsoring PKK terrorists in the Lachin Corridor. Interestingly enough earlier in March, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty ran a similar story. RFE/RL is the mouthpiece of the US state dept, and the primary method of US propaganda around the world. This is somewhat troubling as the news outlet has been foment what many believe to be a color revolution in Armenia with its media coverage of post election events. Aside from disseminating Turkish, and Azeri propaganda alleging pkk bases in Karabakh, RFE/RL has, since February, been running articles to facilitate the creation of rifts in Armenian society and has also been painting residents of Nagorno-Karabakh in an anti-Armenian light. This latest article by Eurasianet is similarly disconcerting as it draws attention to how Turkey justified its invasion of Northern Iraq earlier this year.

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Worst of all, the Azeri and Turkish propaganda has successfully created a picture of karabakh Armeians as a separatists who have been occupying azeri territory after a bloody unjust war. If war were to break out, and Turkey were to intervene, I think it wouldn’t be very difficult for the two countries to make the case for war based on the imperative need to root out terrorist cells from the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Interestingly, the recent media activity also follows a similar and highly flawed analysis by former RFE/RL publisher and CIA analyst, Baku-based Paul Goble. Comments pointing out some of the many inaccuracies in his attempt to link the 2008 presidential election in Armenia with the recreation of Red Kurdistan and Nagorno Karabakh were not allowed through on his blog and I therefore responded on my own.