Expanding Ties between Armenia and EU: State-owned Media in Azerbaijan Foresees Potential Backlash for Both Parties Due to Warming Relationships
Tempestuous Aliyev Slams EU over 'One-Sided' Armenia Ties
In a tumultuous year, President Ilham Aliyev has vented spleen over the European Union's alleged duplicitous treatment of Azerbaijan and the Global South. Recently, state-controlled media outlets in Azerbaijan have raised alarms about the EU's growing connections with Baku's arch-nemesis, Armenia.
Following the July 23 declaration announcing the EU's intention to commence negotiations to offer Armenians visa-free travel perks, prominent Azerbaijani media outlets have churned out a deluge of commentaries asserting that Armenia's quest for EU accession will lead to disillusionment for both parties.
After the announcement, the official Azertag news agency published an op-ed titled "The EU won't manage to resolve its big problems with tiny Armenia," suggesting that granting Armenians visa-free travel will only compound the union's immigration troubles. The piece underscored that numerous Armenians, grappling with insufficient opportunities at home, seek employment abroad. At present, they predominantly head to Russia, but this pattern would likely shift if the EU offers visa-free entry, according to the Azertag op-ed. "This would open a new path for the exodus of the populace in a country that is rapidly emptying," it argued.
Another opinion piece published by Report.az on August 5 fiercely scrutinized the migration angle, maintaining that it would exacerbate immigration woes in the EU while causing a demographic catastrophe for Armenia. "In essence, there will be no Armenians in Armenia, as this ethnic group ... has historically scattered" around the world, the piece asserted, adding that EU visa-free privileges will "unquestionably expedite that dispersal."
Report.az also contended that EU military assistance under the European Peace Facility would lure Yerevan into renewed, possibly more destructive warfare, warning that Armenia might become the next Ukraine, where the West is sustaining Kyiv's conflict against Russia. A report aired by Azerbaijan's public television even suggested that EU aid directed towards Armenia would be earmarked for rekindling conflict.
Armenia's yearning to shake free from Russia's geopolitical grip is the primary driver behind Yerevan's recent pivot towards the West. Many Armenians now blame Russia for shirking security guarantees during the Second Karabakh War, which resulted in Azerbaijan's reclamation of contested territory.
While Armenians might feel abandoned by Russia, Aliyev and many of his countrymen appear to feel spurned by the EU's rejection. For years, Aliyev endeavored to cultivate a favorable image for his administration and his nation in European eyes. Philanthropic giving in the cultural sphere, for example, managed some success in elevating Azerbaijan's profile as a Europeanized state, culminating in a 2016 visit by Pope Francis to Baku.
However, following Azerbaijan's triumph in reclaiming Karabakh, EU-Azerbaijani relations have nosedived, partly due to a perception in Baku of EU partiality towards Armenia in peace negotiations. In recent months, Aliyev has lambasted the CoE and other European institutions, while harboring a profound animosity for France.
In the media onslaught against the deepening relationship between the EU and Armenia, undercurrents of bitterness about perceived EU prejudice can be detected. Many in Baku believe Armenia's Christian cultural identity is a significant factor driving Brussels' supposed preference for Yerevan in the South Caucasus.
"It is due to racial, religious discrimination and Christian bigotry that the European Union shows such loyalty to Armenia at a time when it toughens the visa regime for the people of African and Islamic countries, whose resources it exploits," the Azertag op-ed attributed a statement by Yalcın Hajizadeh, the deputy chair of the pro-Aliyev Motherland Party.
- The recent EU announcement of intentions to commence negotiations for offering Armenians visa-free travel has sparked concern in Azerbaijan about the potential migration from Armenia to Europe.
- An opinion piece published by Report.az discussed the possible immigration issues in the EU and demographic consequences for Armenia if the EU grants visa-free travel to Armenians.
- The Azertag news agency published an op-ed suggesting that granting Armenians visa-free travel would compound the EU's immigration troubles, as many Armenians currently seeking employment abroad might shift their destination to the EU.
- In response to the EU's perceived favoritism towards Armenia, President Ilham Aliyev has criticized the European Union's policies, citing religious and racial discrimination as potential factors influencing the alleged bias towards Armenia.
