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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev seems to be rapidly "thriving" in his rhetoric. His brazen comments, especially after the occupation and depopulation of Artsakh through war and terror, surpass even those made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. No one has fueled Aliyev's ostentatious nationalism and arrogant bravado more than Nikol Pashinyan and Alen Simonyan with their anti-Armenian statements and readiness to surrender. Not even Mehriban Aliyeva or Erdogan have had such an influence – though Putin, through his recent flirtations and apology, may have played a small role.

The reasons behind the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane flying from Baku to Grozny, which went down near Aktau in Kazakhstan, remain undisclosed. Yet, Aliyev has repeatedly pointed to Putin’s apology for the incident and insisted on accountability for those responsible for it.

The photo near the Azerbaijani Embassy in Moscow reveals what Baku means by "responsibility".

Alitev’s statement that “the blame for the fact that Azerbaijani citizens died in this disaster lies with the representatives of the Russian Federation” highlights his disregard for human lives as citizens from Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan were also among the crash victims. And this man now demands “human behavior” from others.

Having secured an apology from Putin, Aliyev has reignited his campaign for the so-called "Zangezur corridor" with renewed vigor. He’s pushing for negotiations with Iran on the matter, announcing that the corridor “must open”, labeling Armenia a “fascist state” and insisting that the current Armenian leadership either eliminate "fascism" or that he will do it himself. But what does Aliyev mean by "fascism"? Is it Nikol Pashinyan’s mixing of dolma, khashlama and fish, or perhaps his cooking an omelette? Or does he refer to the use of stun grenades against peaceful protesters, including women and children? Maybe he refers to political terror. Does Aliyev, a murderer and genocide perpetrator, care about such issues? It’s surprising.

Incidentally, Aliyev launched the latest military operation against the Republic of Artsakh after declaring it a “terrorist entity”.

Anahit Voskanyan