#BBCtrending: The president who threatened war on Twitter
8 August 2014 Last updated at 20:36
By BBC TrendingWhat’s popular and why
President Aliyev posted a flurry of tweets about the conflict
Time was, heads of state would declare war in sombre tones through
radio and television broadcasts. But on Thursday, the president of
Azerbaijan appeared to make the grave announcement on Twitter instead.
“We are not living in peace, we are living in a state of war. Everyone
must know this,” President Ilham Aliyev posted, amidst a string of
tweets about the violent clashes with Armenia that erupted last week.
The two countries dispute the ownership of Nagorno-Karabakh, a region
in south-west Azerbaijan. Although it lies within Azerbaijan’s
borders, the government does not exercise control in the region, whose
population is 90 per cent ethnic Armenian.
The last 10 days have seen the bloodiest fighting for two decades,
prompting Mr Aliyev to launch his tirade on the social network. “We
will restore our sovereignty. The flag of Azerbaijan will fly in all
the occupied territories,” he wrote, declaring “we are able to defeat
them on the battlefield,” soon afterwards.
The novelty of his approach was not lost on his audience, who offered
a live commentary on Aliyev’s posts. “Shows how far Twitter has come
as a diplomatic platform. Now even wars are declared here…” wrote
one user. And of course, it left him open to being heckled in real
time. “@presidentaz just try 🙂 we will kill you and your soldiers,”
said one, “Dream big, fail big,” said another, and “Go home Ilham,
you’re drunk,”replied a third.
The conflict began around the time of the dissolution of the Soviet
Union, of which both Azerbaijan and Armenia were part. An estimated
30,000 people were killed in the six years prior to a ceasefire in
1994. There are now fears that the current disruption could see the
return of more intense fighting the region.
Reporting by Sam Judah
From: A. Papazian