Azerbaijan-Armenia Peace Process Faces Disinformation Campaign, Parliament Reports

In an alarming development that threatens to undermine regional stability, Azerbaijan’s parliamentary Temporary Commission on Countering Foreign Interference and Hybrid Threats has uncovered a coordinated disinformation campaign targeting the nation and the ongoing peace process with Armenia.

According to the Commission’s statement released this week, the campaign is being orchestrated by Armenian lobby organizations across multiple countries, utilizing influential foreign figures and media outlets to spread targeted messaging about Azerbaijan.

The Commission’s investigation revealed that rather than employing obvious tactics, Armenian lobbying groups have adopted a more sophisticated approach, creating artificial public concern around several emotionally charged topics including allegations of “genocide,” claims about “prisoners of war,” and controversies surrounding buildings in the city of Khankendi.

“The coordination of this campaign was deliberately obscured,” the Commission noted, explaining that participants received talking points and directives through encrypted channels, private emails, and secure messaging platforms to avoid detection of their synchronized efforts.

Armenian lobby organizations based in the United States, Europe, and Russia were identified as particularly active participants in the disinformation efforts, suggesting a geographically diverse but ideologically aligned network.

The Commission’s analysis of social media activity over the past week revealed the campaign’s substantial digital footprint. On the X platform (formerly Twitter) alone, more than 220 posts from 130 different accounts were identified as part of the disinformation push, generating nearly one million user interactions. These posts primarily originated from accounts belonging to bloggers of Armenian descent, Armenian news websites, and pro-Armenian foreign commentators and activists.

Beyond social media, the campaign extended into traditional media channels across at least fifteen countries. The Commission identified articles repeating identical talking points published in online outlets based in the United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, Poland, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Georgia, Israel, the Vatican, Greece, India, Russia, and Armenia itself.

While the Commission acknowledged these outlets were “not particularly influential,” the geographic spread demonstrates the campaign’s global ambitions and the extensive reach of Armenian lobbying networks.

The discovery comes at a delicate moment in Azerbaijan-Armenia relations. After decades of conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, including two major wars in the post-Soviet era, the countries have been engaged in internationally-mediated peace negotiations. Azerbaijan regained control of Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023 following a military operation, creating new opportunities for regional reconciliation but also new tensions.

The Commission expressed particular concern about the motives behind the disinformation campaign, suggesting that certain groups “who previously derived high dividends from the conflict” are attempting to sabotage the peace process to protect their own interests. The statement specifically mentioned the involvement of “proxies in foreign parliaments, certain city mayors, and individuals who currently hold or previously held certain positions.”

This alleged involvement of foreign political figures adds a troubling dimension to what Azerbaijan characterizes as external interference in its bilateral relations with Armenia.

As both nations navigate the complex process of building sustainable peace after decades of hostility, the Commission’s findings highlight how information warfare and foreign influence operations continue to pose significant challenges to reconciliation efforts in the South Caucasus region.