During his visit to Shusha city in Karabakh on June 15, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev joined a folk group to dance to the tune of Azerbaijani music in the famous Jidir Plain.
Aliyev’s dance was quickly circulated in social media, with netizens comparing it with Armenian Prime Minister’s dance in the same spot – roughly a year ago before the Second Karabakh War.
A year ago, a video was circulated of Pashinyan dancing in Shusha on May 9 – a day after the anniversary of Shusha’s occupation. Azerbaijanis consider Shusha as their cultural and historical center and had been mourning the city’s occupation by Armenian forces since 1993.
Pashinyan’s video set Azerbaijani social media ablaze, with netizens calling on the government to start the war to liberate the city and to stand up to what they described as Pashinyan’s insult and provocation.
Pashinyan’s move also called a sharp reaction from official Baku.
Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva reminded Armenia that Nagorno-Karabakh was Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territory and that “if the Armenian leadership understands this reality and puts an end to deceiving its population, peace, stability and sustainable development will be provided in the region as soon as possible. ”
Pashinyan’s infamous dance in Shusha was among myriads of provocations staged in recent years.
Since assuming power in 2018, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s administration staged series of provocations, derailing the negotiations process and inciting pro-war sentiments among Azerbaijanis.
These provocations intensified prior to the last year’s war in Nagorno-Karabakh, although it’s not clear what motivated Yerevan to such provocations.
Founded in 1752 by Panah Ali Khan Shusha is a major part of the Azerbaijan identity and culture, with many of the countries prominent artists, musicians and public figures originating from here. Shusha is also the birthplace of Azerbaijan’s famous music genre – mugham.
