Morocco Blocks ‘Provocative’ Armenian Movie After Azerbaijani Complaints

Azerbaijan’s embassy complained about the showing of an Armenian movie about the two countries’ recent conflict.

Rabat – Azerbaijani media have applauded Morocco for canceling the showing of the Armenian movie “All I Need”  about the recent conflict between the two nations. Azerbaijani news outlet Azernews described the event as a “Armenian provocation” that had been prevented by the cancellation of the film’s screening..

The controversy started when the Amazigh Issni N Ourgh Film Festival in Agadir announced they would screen “All I need” on Friday, as part of the ongoing three-day film festival that will conclude on Sunday September 15.

The film in question is a relatively-unknown 11-minute short by filmmaker Katia Spivakova Saakiants that details the recent conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Azerbaijani embassy considered the canceling of the movie a “thwarted Armenian provocation” due to the movie referring to the disputed territory by the Armenian name “Artsakh,” instead of the Azerbaijani name “Garabakh.”

The recent Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region involved territorial disputes and ethnic tensions, with Azerbaijan seeking to reclaim control over the area following decades of Armenian administration, leading to renewed violence and displacement.

The embassy similarly complained about the movie referring to the well-documented 1915-1917 Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish slaughter of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians is disputed by two nations, Turkey, which committed the genocide, and Armenia’s historic rival Azerbaijan.

In 2020, Morocco expressed its diplomatic support for Azerbaijan during the conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, describing it as a case of respecting territorial integrity and international law. As the conflict evolved, Morocco called for a peaceful UN-led resolution to the conflict consistent with Azerbaijan’s claims over the disputed territory.

Azerbaijani media reported that “Azerbaijan’s embassy coordinated with Moroccan authorities and festival organizers to cancel the screening, successfully preventing the spread of Armenian propaganda aimed at misleading the Moroccan audience.”