Arzu Geybulla, an Azerbaijani journalist who has lived in Istanbul for many years, wrote an article called “Karabakh: hatred and euphoria are fueling madness” for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.  

“On one hand there is this sense of euphoria which I find hard to understand and process. How can we be celebrating regaining territories, when there are soldiers dying on the frontline?  There is also hysteria which breeds an ugly form of harassment against those who are against this war and are advocating for an immediate end to it. On social media I see posts written by people who have just lost someone or had a loved one hospitalized, filled with anger over the price paid for a war which is not theirs. And in response I see countless comments fueled by blind nationalism, telling this person to shut up, and to stop being emotional and think of the future because once Azerbaijan regains these territories, there will be no war ever again and all will be back to normal.

I understand this conflict. I understand what international law says. I understand what Azerbaijan wants. What I find impossible to understand is this mindset fueled by war propaganda, images of liberated villages and emotional speeches by the president,” the Azerbaijani reporter wrote.

“Are these people suffering from some kind of amnesia Don’t they know that it is this president who has dragged this conflict out all this time? Don’t they remember that this conflict has been used as a bargaining chip for years? Have they forgotten about the corruption, the rigged elections? Ilham Aliyev has cracked down on civil society, caused so much despair to countless families of former and current political prisoners, silenced free media. This war is clearly the only card that Aliyev had left to legitimize his leadership. He will be president for life. So where does that leave us? A corrupt, undemocratic president will be ruling the country, while continuing to suppress independent voices,” Arzu Geybulla wrote.

She also mentioned Turkey’s role, noting: “Turkey, which has been on the side of de-escalation, is suddenly now all in favor of war. I have lived in Turkey for nearly 20 years and I have never seen Azerbaijan mentioned on the news as much as in the last week. So why is Turkey - the so-called brother country - so in favor of this recent escalation? What interests does it have? Karabakh was there the whole time, so what changed? Is it because Turkey wants to regain its regional leadership and prove something to Russia? If so, then at whose cost?”

In the article, Arzu Geybulla also wrote about the problem of independent coverage of the conflict the media face.

“The hardest part about reporting on Nagorno Karabakh is being labeled because there is an expectation of only one kind of reporting – and it’s the story of one side. The minute you say, well this footage is old, or this is not credible, or you start asking questions, you are labeled. And it doesn’t matter if you are Armenian, Azerbaijani or a foreigner. If one side doesn’t like what they are seeing and reading, you are working for the enemy. You are labeled as one-sided, or biased,” Geybulla noted.

And finally, the Azerbaijani reporter wrote about the advocates for reconciliation: “I am seeing advocates for reconciliation among those who are in support of this war and demand an end of occupation. Once Armenian forces are out of Azerbaijan, they say they will be the strongest advocates of peace. But how can we expect reconciliation when we have done very little in terms of showing that we truly are for peaceful coexistence?”