President Ilham Aliyev’s regime in Azerbaijan is taking a decidedly partisan approach to political developments in a neighboring state, offering unqualified support for the incumbent Georgian Dream party’s efforts to retain power amid Georgia’s disputed parliamentary elections. 

According to information obtained by an independent, Berlin-based Azerbaijani media outlet, Mikroskop Media, Aliyev administration officials issued instructions to pro-government Azerbaijani media outlets, along with government-organized non-governmental organizations (GONGOS), to praise Georgian Dream’s convincing victory in the October 26 elections. Official results showed Georgian Dream winning 54 percent of the vote and capturing 89 of the 150 legislative seats up for grabs. Opposition leaders say the vote was rigged and refuse to acknowledge the outcome. 

The instructions reportedly distributed by Azerbaijani government officials contained a list of talking points covering the Georgian election results. Among the recommended comments were: “Voters voted against war and confrontation, and for peace, progress, and celebration of national values;” and “The results of the elections are a big blow to the policy of the West in Georgia and the policy of creating dividing lines in the region.” 

State-aligned media outlets appear to have dutifully fulfilled the administration’s wishes. For example, the state news agency, Azertag, published an interview with the chair of the National NGO Forum, Ramil Iskandarli, whose comments echoed some of the government-supplied talking points. 

“Now it can be said that the result of the held elections is a big blow to the policy of the West in Georgia and the policy of creating dividing lines in the region,” Iskandarli is quoted as saying. “It is no secret that non-governmental organizations operating with financial support from the West supported the opposition and tried to increase pre-election tension. It is known that they also actively participated in the election process.” 

Authorities in Baku also urged Azerbaijani media to emphasize the high level of support given by Georgian Azerbaijanis to Georgian Dream. “The vote cast by Azerbaijani voters to the ruling party is 7-8 percent of [Georgian Dream’s] total votes, which shows that they have an important weight in the elections,” an editorial in the official government newspaper Republic stated. “Our compatriots opposed the pro-Western policy in the country and supported the peace and stability of Georgia. Azerbaijanis living in Georgia are of special importance in the current political arena of the country not only in terms of numbers, but also due to their social scope and influence.”

Shortly after the Georgian Dream-controlled Central Election Commission announced the results, Aliyev congratulated Georgian PM Irakli Kobakhidze on his party’s victory and invited him to Baku. 

A shared desire to reduce Western influence in the Caucasus appears to be driving the Aliyev administration’s support for Georgian Dream. Of late, Aliyev has been a vocal critic of the European Union, France in particular, which he accuses of favoring Armenia in the Azerbaijani-Armenian peace process. Georgian Dream,  meanwhile, has accused the United States and EU of trying to foment coups and revolutions designed to create a pro-Western puppet state. 

Both Azerbaijan and Georgia have also strengthened relations with Russia of late. Russia’s foreign intelligence service chief, Sergey Naryshkin, visited Baku earlier in October. A readout of Naryshkin’s meetings with Azerbaijani officials noted that among the near-term bilateral goals was “joint work to counter activities by Western special services … aimed at disrupting the internal political stability of our states.” 

Georgian Dream did win the vote in Azerbaijani-majority and other districts populated mostly by ethnic minorities. But questions about irregularities linger. One viral video filmed at an election station in Azerbaijani-majority Marneuli district captured an election official aggressively stuffing a bunch of ballots into the box. The polling station was closed shortly after, and investigation was launched. However, local observers asserted that this was far from an isolated case of fraud.  

Prior to the elections in Georgia, state-aligned media in Azerbaijan advocated openly for a Georgian Dream victory. Editorials claimed that an opposition victory would ruin the country and described Georgian Dream as the only option for regional stability.