Իսլամական աշխարհի աջակցությունն Ադրբեջանին 2020թ․ Արցախյան պատերազմի ընթացքում․ իսլամական համերաշխությունից մինչև ջիհադականություն

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to study the degree of support of Azerbaijan by the Islamic world during the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh, to identify the supporting parties, as well as religious and geopolitical motives, mechanisms of this support. The objectives of the article are to study issues related to the Islamic direction of Azerbaijan's foreign policy and the religious component of the Artsakh problem in the context of the Turkish-Azerbaijani policy, to identify the role of Turkey on the basis of the ideas of Islamic-Turkish solidarity, in order to create anti-Armenian sentiments in the international arena. The article was written on the basis of monitoring of the international press and materials on this topic, an extensive study of professional literature on various sides of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In the course of the study, the authors concluded that during the Artsakh war of 2020, the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem used religious instruments to enlist the full support of the Islamic world. The ideas of Islamic, common Turkic solidarity, jihadism, as well as the potential of hired jihadists, Sunni-Shiite layers of the Islamic world were used. From the time between September-November 2020, in parallel with the large-scale hostilities in Artsakh, anti-Armenian agendas and moods based on the religious factor and obvious ideas of Islamic solidarity were advanced and strengthened in the Middle East, beyond its borders, and primarily in the Islamic environment, which were manifested in both political and public discourse of Turkey and Ankara, also in international media and social networks, as well as Muslim clergy and government officials. They were directed by Ankara, Baku and their allies using a wide range of information tools. Besides that, on Erdogan’s initiative and direct control, large number of mercenaries were thrust into the line of contact. The President of Turkey invested military, political, diplomatic, human, economic and propaganda resources in support/in favor of Azerbaijan. The Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem was not repulsive to inciting religious hatred by generating anti-Armenian sentiments, which became a security threat to Armenians living around the world. During the war, the Turkish-speaking Shiite Azeri elites of the Iranian Azerbaijan (Atropatene) province of Iran, broad public spectrum, high-ranking Muslim theologians around the world and some Muslim countries, such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc. became allies in the formation of anti-Armenian sentiments. The victory in the war strengthened Azerbaijan's position in the Islamic environment, where Baku had spent considerable resources to gain legitimacy and involvement. It can be stated that Azerbaijan, which has a predominantly Shiite identity, was mostly supported by the Sunni world, which has a direct connection with Ankara’s unconditional support to Baku.