(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 28. In everycontemporary conflict, war, and confrontation, there's a crucialaspect that sets them apart from conflicts of the past: hybridity days, battles aren't just fought on the ground; they extendinto the information sphere. Conflicts are sparked, stoked, andsubdued across a multitude of fronts. Here in Azerbaijan, we'rewell familiar with this reality: three decades of Armenianoccupation have taught our country to combat hybrid threats in alltheir forms.
However, the hybrid war waged against Azerbaijan had its owndistinctiveness. After the 44-day conflict in 2020, Azerbaijanwasn't facing attacks solely from Yerevan anymore. It was the Westthat initiated a full-blown hybrid warfare against Baku. Just thinkabout what was unfolding just a year ago.
Summer of 2023. In the Western media, there's a daily onslaught- and this is not an exaggeration - of anti-Azerbaijani articles,interviews, and so-called "expert opinions". Our supposed old"friends" are especially zealous; The Washington Post and theFrench Le Figaro seem more focused on attacking Azerbaijan than onevents in their own countries. The barrage of information warfareagainst our country reached unprecedented levels: the mostludicrous falsehoods about Azerbaijan were peddled, President IlhamAliyev faced relentless criticism, and absurd "investigations" and"reports" were churned out. Western NGOs and "human rightsactivists" jumped into the fray. And then there's the pièce derésistance: Luis Ocampo, former prosecutor of the InternationalCriminal Court, churning out report after report - one day it'sabout the "blockade" of the Lachin corridor, the next he's warningof yet another "genocide". He seemed to be pulling out all thestops, likely not without some ulterior motive.
The peak of this hybrid assault on Azerbaijan hit in the summerof 2023 - and it wasn't a coincidence. The West understood thesituation perfectly well. They knew Azerbaijan wouldn't sit idly bywhile separatist remnants continued their charade of "statehood" onour soil, backed by foreign lobbyists, all the while exploiting ournatural resources and gearing up for armed provocations. TheWestern attacks aimed to pressure Baku into preventing the centralgovernment from reclaiming sovereignty over all of Azerbaijan'sterritory. It was a full-fledged hybrid war - and by summer 2023,they weren't even bothering to hide it.
The Western anti-Azerbaijani forces sought to mold Azerbaijaninto a nation they could manipulate. They saw the Karabakh conflictas a lever to press on Baku from all sides. That's why, by 2023,Western circles increasingly floated ideas about deploying missionsin Karabakh. That's why the West, by any means necessary, sought toensure that the EU mission, currently patrolling the hypotheticalArmenian-Azerbaijani border, wouldn't just be stationed in Armeniabut also within our country's borders. They needed to maintaintheir grip of pressure and influence over Baku.
Most likely, the original plan was to hinder Azerbaijan fromreclaiming its territorial integrity - Armenians were meant topersist in their "independence" charade on our soil, handing theWest the cards they needed. However, it didn't pan out that way -by 2020, those plans hit a dead end. Azerbaijan, both in word anddeed, made it clear it wouldn't tolerate the occupation of its landany longer. Plans had to be adjusted; talks started about variousmissions, observers, and trust-building measures between Armeniansand Azerbaijanis in Karabakh. Despite the noble façade, theintentions remained unchanged - to thwart Azerbaijan's sovereigntyrestoration efforts, keep pressure points intact, and continueleveraging this situation to their advantage. This was particularlycrucial amid the escalating standoff between the West andRussia.
All of that strategy, all those plans, information campaigns,manipulations, and the efforts of lobbying groups worldwide - itall crumbled. President Ilham Aliyev's unwavering principles,consistency, and political determination tore down everythingplotted against our country. Against provocations, falsehoods, andassaults, stood the unity of millions of Azerbaijani citizensrallying around their leader. President Ilham Aliyev crafted arobust and resilient state, immune to any attacks: a thrivingeconomy, a skilled military, and successful foreign relations,alongside internal stability and solidarity within Azerbaijanisociety, formed the bedrock upon which the strategy for fullyrestoring Azerbaijan's territorial integrity was built. It was amonumental, painstaking effort spanning years, executed flawlesslyfrom start to finish.
As a result, thanks to President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan hasachieved a historic milestone: sovereignty has been fully restoredacross the territory, and Baku now pursues a truly independentpolicy, refusing to bow to external dictates or conditions has become a force to be reckoned with, whether certainparties like it or not. Interestingly, Armenia, in contrast, hasgained nothing but a harsh reality check: they'll be dealing withthe severe repercussions of decades of aggression, occupation, andstrained regional relations for years to come.
The restoration of Azerbaijan's sovereignty in September 2023wasn't just the last blow to Armenian separatism; it also markedthe final, decisive battle in the hybrid war waged against ournation. That's why today, those same NGOs, experts, and humanrights activists with their reports seem to have vanished without atrace - gone silent, disappeared. The onslaught of attacks thatplagued us in the summer of 2023 has come to an end.
The West has utterly failed in the hybrid war it instigated.
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