Former Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Tofiq Zulfugarov has dismissed recent anti-Azerbaijan broadcasts on Russian state television, saying such media attacks have no real impact on Baku’s policies.
The program in question accused the Armenian government of neglecting ethnic Armenians who left Karabakh, claiming they had been forcibly displaced — despite the fact that they departed voluntarily. It also used the term “Artsakh,” a violation of international law and an attempt to legitimize a non-existent territorial entity, which Zulfugarov described as an open show of disrespect for Azerbaijan’s sovereignty.
Zulfugarov told Oxu.Az that certain circles in Russia have been pursuing a deliberate anti-Azerbaijan policy for the past six months:
“Old talking points once voiced by Armenians are now being recycled by Russian television. Russia cannot influence Azerbaijan with some TV show. Nor does it have the real capacity to create serious economic or political obstacles for our country.”
According to him, these broadcasts aim to indirectly support opposition forces in Armenia that resist ongoing normalization talks with Azerbaijan.
He stressed that such propaganda cannot derail progress:
“The main thing is that [Armenian Prime Minister] Pashinyan does not backtrack from his position. The U.S. must continue applying pressure on Armenia in this direction. Azerbaijan pursues an independent policy based solely on its national and state interests, without making decisions under external influence.”
