NO FUTURE FOR FASCISM

Recently, a video titled Armenia's First President Ter-Petrosian and the Real Goals of the Armenian National Movement was uploaded to YouTube, quickly capturing the attention of expert circles.

The content of the video, created by blogger Albert Isakov, leaves no room for doubt regarding its authenticity. It serves as undeniable evidence of the Nazism that permeated the Third Republic of Armenia in its purest form. The rhetoric echoes the ideologies proclaimed by the Nazis of the Third Reich during the 1930s and throughout the Second World War.

Three Presidents and the Ideology of Nazism in Armenia

In the video, Armenia's first president, Levon Ter-Petrosian, addresses militants of Yerkrapah (an Armenian illegal armed group that persists to this day) on July 23, 1993. His speech reveals the true objectives of the Armenian National Movement (ANM) and, by extension, Armenia itself. His words are so explicit that they leave no room for alternative interpretations. Ter-Petrosian outlines the implementation of ethnic cleansing (1987–1990) against the peaceful Azerbaijani population living in their ancestral lands in Armenia, Garabagh, and other regions of Azerbaijan that were occupied by Armenian armed forces at the time. His speech effectively serves as a declaration of the Miatsum program.

The third Armenian president, Serzh Sargsyan, also made a chilling confession regarding the Khojaly genocide, which he oversaw. During an interview with British journalist Thomas de Waal for Echo of Moscow radio on January 24, 2011, Sargsyan stated: "Before Khojaly, Azerbaijanis believed that Armenians were incapable of harming civilians. We succeeded in shattering that stereotype." De Waal documented this admission in his book Black Garden.

During the 44-day war, while Azerbaijan conducted precise strikes on military installations of the occupying forces, Armenian forces shelled peaceful Azerbaijani towns located far behind the front lines and outside the combat zone.

Equally alarming is the statement made by Armenia's second president, Robert Kocharian, at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry on 16 January 2003. He spoke of the genetic incompatibility of Armenians and Azerbaijanis, a sentiment he reiterated during his address to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Kocharian's wife, Bella Kocharian, echoed this ideology during the opening of a blood transfusion centre in Armenia, stating: Armenians should only receive Armenian blood. Armenian blood has a unique genetic structure. The centre’s director elaborated on this directive, claiming that Armenian blood is pure because Armenians traditionally avoid marrying foreigners.

This rhetoric is reminiscent of Nazi Germany's slogan Blood and Soil (Blut und Boden), where blood symbolized the pure Aryan race. The Nuremberg Laws, enacted to preserve this supposed purity, prohibited Germans from marrying non-Aryans.

Three Armenian Presidents, Three Adepts of Nazi Ideology

This ideology was not confined to Armenia's leaders; it permeated Armenian society and took root. This explains why a monument was erected in Armenia to honour Garegin Nzhdeh, a collaborator of German fascism. As Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev aptly noted, The modern Armenian state is a fascist state.

Historian Eldar Gunesli cites a revealing statement by Rafael Ghazarian, a prominent figure in Armenia and academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. During a meeting of the Garabagh Committee, Ghazarian outlined the methods and objectives of the ANM leaders: "You understand that we must prepare for defence, and we must begin by forming the detachments we previously requested. This will ensure that emigration from Armenia and immigration proceed in an organised manner. I agree with Ashot that we must avoid descending to the level of barbarians here. We must facilitate emigration by any means necessary. For the first time in decades, we have a unique opportunity to cleanse Armenia. I consider this the greatest achievement of these ten months."

Many in Azerbaijan initially perceived Ter-Petrosian's intellectual image as that of a pragmatic politician who proposed negotiations with Azerbaijan and the return of some occupied territories. However, this was not a reflection of conscience but rather the logic of a seasoned politician who understood the precariousness of Armenia's position. Ter-Petrosian recognised that Azerbaijan would eventually reclaim its territories, and his proposals were driven by pragmatism rather than moral conviction.

Regarding Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President Ilham Aliyev provided a clear assessment during an interview with Azerbaijani TV channels on 7 January of this year: As I have said before, the current leader of Armenia seeks to portray himself as a dove of peace. However, consider his speeches from 2018 to 2019—no one wishes to revisit them now. Even his allies in France are reluctant to defend him. This ideology—fascism—remains alive in Armenia, and its proponents include not only the current opposition but also the ruling authorities.

Ethnic Cleansing and International Law

To date, international legal instruments lack a separate and explicit definition of ethnic cleansing. However, the concept of genocide, as defined in Article II of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, encompasses acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. Such acts include killing members of the group, inflicting severe physical or mental harm, and deliberately imposing living conditions intended to bring about the group's physical destruction.

Renowned international lawyer Levan Aleksidze writes: Ethnic cleansing is not only a crime against humanity under the jurisdiction of international tribunals but also a form of genocide, subject to the provisions of the Genocide Convention. The expulsion of Azerbaijanis from Armenia in the late 1980s exemplifies this: forced to flee in winter, without time to gather their belongings, many perished in the mountains.

The UN General Assembly, in its resolution 47/121 of December 18, 1992, acknowledged the escalating tragedies in the former Yugoslavia and recognized that ethnic cleansing constitutes a form of genocide. The resolution urged UN member states to make every effort to hold accountable all individuals who participated directly or indirectly in these crimes, whether in Bosnia and Herzegovina, other parts of the former Yugoslavia, or elsewhere in the world.

On Accountability for Crimes

We have the confessions of three Armenian presidents. Two admit to committing crimes, while the third openly espouses Nazi ideology. Azerbaijan possesses ample evidence of the crimes committed by all three. Each is a proponent of Nazi ideology, and they will inevitably face justice—whether in Azerbaijan or before international courts, time will tell.

A pressing question arises: Why have the staunch defenders of human rights, including prominent non-governmental organizations and prosecutors at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, remained silent? For three decades, Armenia occupied Azerbaijani territories. Were these observers blind to the atrocities?

According to Armenian media, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan revealed during a parliamentary session on 25 December 2024 that former President Levon Ter-Petrosian advised him in July 2018 to return Garabagh: "I will share a secret from my meeting with the first president in July 2018. He told me, 'The land should already be returned.' In exchange for what? Why? How? His proposal, at least as it stood that day, did not extend beyond these points. The rest is a matter of interpretation. Did no one hear this admission?"

To date, virtually no Western entity has called for holding Armenia and its leaders accountable. No one has proposed sanctions against a state steeped in Nazi ideology. No one has listened to Azerbaijan's appeals. Why?

What will the international community say now, as Azerbaijan presents its evidence and demands accountability?

The world must discard the narrative of Armenia as a victim. Today's Armenia is a Nazi state, its ideology and legislation saturated with Nazi principles. This truth cannot be concealed.

And for every crime, there must be accountability.