Groundless Anti-Armenian Propaganda Discourages Any Form of Debate
by Irina Ghaplanyan
Independent Research Analyst
The John Smith Memorial Trust has often provided opportunities and encouraged healthy debate on various issues. The JSM Trust is lauded for its objectivity and impartiality, and that is why when the article by Fariz Ismailzade, Azerbaijan Sees Armenia Differently After Elections, appeared on the Trust’s website it shocked Armenian scholars and those who have studied the South Caucasus. It was not an academic article, but rather a collection of personal biased opinions and groundless anti-Armenian accusations. There were no footnotes, no references; this was obviously another piece of anti-Armenian Azeri propaganda. It was disappointing to see that the JSM Trust was used as a medium for this propaganda thus becoming an accomplice in the information war initiated and fueled by Azerbaijan.
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The views expressed in this article are those of the author. The John Smith Memorial Trust expresses no views on the content of articles written by former Fellows but is pleased to be able to encourage debate on issues of the kind discussed in this article.
Readers will note that the final paragraph of this article includes the following passage:
'I kindly urge you to remove Mr. Fariz Ismailzade's article from your website or have this article published as a rebuttal to this author's article of false propaganda. I also kindly urge you to launch a debate that will bring together scholars and analysts from both countries who are committed to a constructive dialogue and finding solutions'.
To remove this paragraph would be an act of censorship.
We are publishing Irina Ghaplanyan's article in the belief that it continues a vitally important debate that raises vital questions about democracy and the pursuit of peaceful solutions to long-standing disputes.
The article by Fariz Ismailzade that Miss Ghaplanyan refers to can be found by using the following link:
Azerbaijan sees Armenia Differently after Elections
June 2008