Stepanova was angered by Aliyev. Does TASS have the right to obey?

Agidar Kultov: Russia's response measures are extensive, as Russia has a strong Caspian Fleet

Russian news agency TASS complied with the request of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry and corrected an article about the removal of a monument to Russian painter Ivan Aivazovsky. Finally, the name "Shusha" which had caused anger in Baku was removed from the text, leaving only the information that the monument was removed in Karabakh.

Previously, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry publicly issued a firm anti-Russian statement, demanding that TASS apologize for using the name "Shusha" in its report on the removal of the monument to the marine painter in Hanendy, a name used during the existence of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

Additionally, the department's press secretary Ehsan Hajizadeh stated that the bust of Aivazovsky was reportedly illegally installed without Baku's permission, reflecting "disrespect from Russia."

"We expect Russia to stop distorting Azerbaijan's place names and stop using names used by past separatist regimes."

"If similar incidents occur again, Azerbaijan may start using historical names for some settlements in Russia according to the principle of reciprocity," the statement on the website of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reads.

The Azerbaijani state news agency "Azertag" also made demands on TASS. The agency threatened to use the name "Königsberg" instead of Kaliningrad, and other names such as "Orlansk" (Orenburg), "Sarysu" (Volgograd), "Solzha-Gara" (Grozny), "Toyokhala" (South Sakhalin), and "Petrovsk" (Petrozavodsk).

Finally, TASS modified the article that had caused dissatisfaction at the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. But the question is whether Baku will be satisfied with this or if it still expects an open apology from the Russian news agency. Considering the clear pro-Russian line of the Azerbaijani authorities, this would not surprise anyone.

In this regard, the blogger and social activist Sergey Koliaskin pointed out in his Telegram channel that the position of the Russian Foreign Ministry is indeed incomprehensible, as it "completely forgot the word 'Azerbaijan'."

He recalled the statement by the ministry's representative Dmitry Masyuka a month ago, where Masyuka said, "Some forces are trying to create division between Moscow and Baku." He called on our diplomats to "wake up," because "it's not 'some forces' — it's what Azerbaijan and Aliyev himself are doing."

"I understand that many hope 'things will resolve themselves' and 'return to normal.' This is how we've worked for decades. But this won't happen," the author of the channel wrote.

How does historian Alexander Zukov view the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's "another ultimatum from a strategic partner country"?

He believes that the peaceful words of the Russian Foreign Ministry are also wrong:

"The Azerbaijani understanding of our authorities is truly excellent. Look how skillfully they do it: subtle, going beyond cultural norms, insults (‘Azertag has the right to declare’— meaning Baku is dominant), and then holy words about 'good relations' and 'reciprocity' — while listing a series of territorial claims against Russia. Compared to this semantic excellence, our foreign ministry's statements seem very poor…"

Zukov points out that it is noteworthy that "we seem never to have heard corresponding ultimatums (for example, regarding anti-Russian content in Azerbaijani history textbooks)."

Overall, it's hard not to notice that Baku's official policy is becoming openly hostile. However, it seems that Moscow is trying to ignore this. Although this goodwill only aggravates the 'partners' of Baku.

Just recall that in the past few months alone, they have carried out numerous unfriendly attacks on Russia. Worse still, Azerbaijan has openly supplied weapons to Ukraine and provided energy that is used to conduct military operations against our soldiers.

In fact, the recent event where Aliyev gladly accepted a collection of Nazi insignia from Ukrainian soldiers and encouraged Ukrainians to "continue doing so" and "never accept occupation" clearly shows where Baku stands.

At the same time, our journalists and IT personnel are being detained in Azerbaijani prisons, with the authorities accusing them of espionage and involvement in drug trafficking. In reality, they have become hostages.

Why have we not yet made the 'partners' of Azerbaijan realize their position?

The magazine "SP" interviewed the renowned historian, political scientist, and chairman of the Moscow Center for Public Law, Agidar Kultov, on this issue:

"Baku's official rhetoric has indeed become increasingly aggressive, with more attacks on Russia and more concrete actions. But honestly, I don't think this is anything new, as I have been following Azerbaijan's policies for a long time. Please allow me to recall some facts."

You know, Azerbaijan was one of the countries that pushed for the dissolution of the Soviet Union. For years, there has been a claim that the presidents of three Slavic republics dissolved the USSR in the Białowieża Forest.

However, in the late 1990s in Nakhichevan, when the Soviet Union still existed, there was a movement led by the "Azerbaijani Popular Front" aimed at dismantling border facilities. What were these border facilities? Borders are a necessary attribute of any country's sovereignty, meaning they were intentionally undermining and shaking the country's sovereignty.

The root cause of the Karabakh conflict can also be traced back to the Soviet era.

By the way, the removal of Aivazovsky's monument in Karabakh is not an isolated case. First of all, I want to point out that the surname "Aivazovsky" is a Russianized form; in fact, the painter was Armenian. Although this is irrelevant. He was a great painter, and people should cherish his works.

Unfortunately, in the not-so-long history of Azerbaijan's independence, there are many facts showing that Armenian monuments and ancient cemeteries on its territory have been destroyed. This demonstrates extreme hatred towards other nations.

If I'm not mistaken, now in Karabakh, the famous "We - Our Mountains" ("Grandpa and Grandma") monument has been repainted in the colors of the Azerbaijani flag, which is a symbol of Armenian cultural heritage in the region. This is, in general, an insult. And there is even discussion about whether to completely demolish it.

Such facts are not rare. For a long time, this hatred has repeatedly erupted in various ways. And it is also happening now.

SP: How to explain our weak reaction to the attacks from Baku?

"I think it's not because of a lack of will. Frankly, we are going through a complex period in our relations with many countries. Our country is currently engaged in a military operation. In such a situation, increasing the number of enemies and problems to deal with is not a wise policy."

Diplomacy is a field of human activity whose purpose is cooperation rather than confrontation. Of course, we could slam the door and almost cut off diplomatic relations.

But we must predict what consequences this would lead to. And this behavior path probably won't make Baku abandon its current course.

SP: So, we have to endure it?

"No, of course not. Not responding is also impossible. A weak response will only encourage more bad deeds. The range of response measures that Russia can take is very extensive. And they have been used in different situations before."

For example, after quality inspections of Azerbaijani agricultural products, reducing procurement from it. This would be a significant blow to Azerbaijan's economy.

If our response is not clear enough, Moscow must be prepared to face the implementation of the Zangezur Corridor project, which is obviously beneficial to Turkey. To a lesser extent, it is beneficial to the United States, but completely against our interests.

Because it threatens the expansion of Pan-Turkism, not only in Azerbaijan and the Central Asian republics, but even in Russia itself. For example, I recently read a report that in some schools in Dagestan, students are chanting "Our homeland is Azerbaijan" in class and swearing allegiance to Ilham Aliyev.

In other words, Azerbaijan's hostile actions are evident in many ways. It is absolutely necessary to respond to them.

After all, Russia has a powerful Caspian Fleet — in the Caspian Sea, Russia's navy is the most combat-ready. And we have an ally — Iran, which also understands that all projects related to the Zangezur Corridor are in a way targeting it.

But there is also a problem here, namely whether the Russian authorities can fully and clearly predict the development of the situation.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7533841638360138282/

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