On June 16, Azerbaijan presented the book “Hate Speech and the Falsification of Historical Facts in Armenian Secondary Schools”, claiming that materials used in Artsakh’s schools promoted hostility toward Azerbaijanis and distorted history.
According to project lead A. Abdullayev, Deputy Chairman of Azerbaijan’s Center for Strategic Communications, the research was based on materials collected from educational institutions that operated in Artsakh before Azerbaijan regained control of the region. Azerbaijani officials said the materials fostered an “enemy image” and encouraged ethnic hostility.
Yet much of what Azerbaijan now labels as “historical falsification” reflects views long held by Armenians themselves. Schools in Artsakh taught Armenian history, Armenian cultural heritage, and the Armenian identity of local churches and monasteries. Azerbaijan, meanwhile, has increasingly promoted claims that many of those same monuments are Caucasian Albanian rather than Armenian.
At the heart of the dispute is a struggle over history and identity. Azerbaijan’s report effectively treats Armenian interpretations of Artsakh’s past as evidence of falsification whenever they conflict with the state’s preferred narrative.
The accusations are further complicated by Azerbaijan’s own record. Azerbaijani textbooks and literature have for decades portrayed Armenians as enemies, aggressors, or usurpers. The seventh-grade text “The Last Bullet” depicts an Armenian character as a torturer and killer, while writer Eyvaz Zeynalov’s “The Thief” accuses Armenians of stealing Azerbaijani culture, heritage, and land.
Azerbaijani writer Akram Aylisli has also observed that the word “Armenian” is commonly used as an insult and closely associated with the concept of an enemy.
Viewed in this context, the publication is not simply a study of educational materials. It is part of a broader effort to challenge the legitimacy of Artsakh’s Armenian historical narrative and recast the region’s institutions, heritage, and identity through the lens of Azerbaijan’s official interpretation of the conflict.
