Azerbaijan Slams New York Mayor's 'Genocide' Accusations as Provocative, Factually Inaccurate

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's recent social media pronouncements have ignited a firestorm of criticism from Turkey and Azerbaijan, who vehemently reject his characterization of historical and recent events. Mamdani's posts, which invoked the term "genocide" in relation to the 1915 events and accused Azerbaijan and Turkey of aggression against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 and 2023, have been labeled as provocative and factually baseless by Azerbaijani officials.

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Bugün Ermeni Soykırımı'nın 111. yıldönümü. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu tarafından bugünkü Türkiye, Suriye ve Ermenistan topraklarında katledilen 1,5 milyon Ermeni'yi anarken, tarihin tekerrür etmesine izin vermemeliyiz. 2020 yılında Azerbaycan ve Türkiye'nin askeri güçleri Dağlık Karabağ'daki Ermeni nüfusa saldırdı. 2023 yılında Azerbaycan, 100.000'den fazla Ermeni'yi Dağlık Karabağ'dan sürgün ederek, 100 yıl önce başlayan soykırım kampanyasını sürdürdü. Bu anma gününde, Ermeni halkının ve tüm halkların özgürlük, güvenlik ve kendi kaderini tayin etme hakkını yeniden teyit ediyoruz

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Ayhan Hajizade, issued a strong rebuttal, dismissing Mamdani's statements as lacking an understanding of regional history and current realities, and as a distortion of facts to fit political narratives. Hajizade emphasized that Azerbaijan's actions in 2020 were conducted within its internationally recognized sovereign territory and in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions. Furthermore, he asserted that the Armenian population in Karabakh was offered integration, equal rights, and security guarantees, directly contradicting Mamdani's claims of "exile" and "genocide."

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kışkırtıcı ve gerçeği yansıtmayan

From our perspective in Azerbaijan, Mamdani's remarks are particularly galling as they ignore the historical suffering of Azerbaijanis, including ethnic cleansing and massacres during Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani territories, as well as the destruction of cultural and religious heritage. Such one-sided narratives, especially when amplified by public figures, are unacceptable and demand immediate retraction. This incident highlights a recurring pattern where international discourse on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict often overlooks the legitimate grievances and historical context of Azerbaijan, instead perpetuating narratives that align with Armenian claims. We expect public officials to engage with facts and historical accuracy, rather than resorting to inflammatory rhetoric that undermines peace and reconciliation efforts.

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Mamdaninin paylaşımını reddettiklerini belirterek, söz konusu ifadelerin bölgenin tarihi ve mevcut gerçeklerine ilişkin bilgi eksikliğini ortaya koyduğunu ve siyasi anlatılar doğrultusunda gerçekleri çarpıttığı değerlendirmesinde bulundu.