An international conference titled “Hate Speech and Falsification of Historical Facts in Armenian Secondary Schools” kicked off at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Baku on Monday. The event brought together researchers, experts and officials to address what organisers described as the deeply concerning issue of state-sponsored xenophobia and ethnic profiling embedded within Armenia’s educational curriculum.
Speaking at the event, Ali Abdullayev, assistant to the chairman of the Centre for Strategic Communications, highlighted the systematic nature of these distortions. He emphasised that the integration of hate speech into secondary school textbooks severely undermines long-term peace efforts in the region and fosters animosity among younger generations, News.Az reports.
During the presentations, a comprehensive array of specific examples directly extracted from current Armenian school textbooks was demonstrated to the audience. The materials showcase a deliberate pattern of dehumanising Azerbaijanis and rewriting regional history.
As a stark illustration of the rhetoric taught to schoolchildren, organisers displayed an excerpt from one of the textbooks on the main screen. The translated slide reads:
“Because Azerbaijanis are lazy, they live in poor and neglected conditions, and sometimes walk around in rags. Their children are often left out of education, wander the streets, engage in theft, or, at best, help their parents with street trade.”
Experts at the conference warned that such overt ethnic stereotyping and historical fabrications present a major obstacle to reconciliation, calling on international educational organisations and human rights watchdogs to investigate the curriculum standards maintained in Armenian public education.
The conference continued with further panel sessions analysing the geopolitical and psychological impacts of the politicisation of education.
Despite highlighting these severe educational issues, Ali Abdullayev expressed hope for future cooperation, noting that Azerbaijan welcomes positive regional shifts. “We are pleased that economic relations between the two countries have been restored,” Abdullayev said.
However, he stressed that true reconciliation requires addressing internal propaganda, concluding with a direct appeal to Yerevan: “We urge Armenia to recall and withdraw these textbooks from circulation.”
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