Notable content creator Nuseir Yassin, known for his Nas Daily videos, has once again released a piece glorifying Azerbaijan”this time touting it as an environmental champion ahead of COP29. In the video, Yassin praises Azerbaijan as “the first oil country now going green,” showcasing the country’s partnership with the UAE to build what he claims is “the biggest solar park in the world.” However, his portrayal dangerously overlooks Azerbaijan’s record as one of the world’s leading oil and gas producers and the authoritarian regime behind these promotional efforts, a government with a long history of human rights abuses, war crimes, and ongoing ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
Yassin’s video, shared with his millions of followers, promotes a greenwashed image of Azerbaijan, presenting the country’s minimal renewable projects as a beacon of progress while ignoring its heavy reliance on fossil fuels. He highlights Garadagh Solar Park, describing it as “as big as 700 football fields,” powered by over half a million solar panels. Yet, while painting this image of “sustainability,” Yassin fails to acknowledge that oil and gas remain central to Azerbaijan’s economy, with renewable energy representing only a symbolic fraction of its overall energy production. Azerbaijan’s selective promotion of its green projects ahead of COP29 in Baku serves as a thinly veiled attempt to distract from its actual environmental and human rights record.
Yassin portrays Azerbaijan’s “rich culture and history,” showing a clip of Azerbaijani-controlled Shushi, yet omits the violent reality of how Azerbaijan seized Shushi”a city of profound cultural and historical importance to Armenians. His portrayal disregards the brutal 2020 Artsakh war, launched by Azerbaijan with Turkish backing and aided by Turkish and Israeli drones, ultimately resulting in the occupation of half of Artsakh. The portrayal is misleading, making it appear as though Shushi has always been an integral part of Azerbaijani heritage and omitting the violent methods used to occupy it.
During the 2020 war, Azerbaijan’s military aggression caused the deaths of thousands of Armenian soldiers and hundreds of civilians, displaced tens of thousands of Armenians, and led to the systematic erasure of Armenian cultural sites”including the occupation of Shushi itself. This sanitized portrayal overlooks these violent realities, effectively erasing Armenian history from Shushi and presenting it as though it seamlessly belongs within Azerbaijan’s cultural narrative.
This campaign continued in September 2023, when Azerbaijan occupied the remainder of Artsakh, launching a military assault after a nine-month blockade that starved the 120,000 Armenian population and illegally detained Armenian prisoners. Azerbaijan’s actions reflect a sustained campaign marked by documented war crimes and cultural erasure, contributing to the ethnic cleansing of Armenians from Artsakh.
In his caption, Yassin wrote: “The first oil country is Going Green. The green revolution is officially everywhere”¦Just got back from Azerbaijan, the first country ever to produce oil. And guess what? With a huge collab with the UAE, they just opened their biggest solar park. This is how we change the world.” This post gives the impression that Azerbaijan is a model for environmental change, diverting attention from its legacy of fossil fuel reliance, violence, and authoritarian repression.
By ignoring Azerbaijan’s human rights record, Nas Daily is once again supporting Azerbaijan’s propaganda machine. This video is a continuation of his prior video that falsely depicted Azerbaijan as a “beacon of coexistence.” Both pieces misrepresent Azerbaijan, leaving out the genocidal actions carried out under President Ilham Aliyev’s regime, from the Sumgait Pogrom and Maraga Massacre to the beheadings during the 2020 Artsakh war and the forced starvation of Armenians via the blockade of the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor.
While Yassin promotes Azerbaijan’s efforts to “go green,” he omits its responsibility for environmental devastation inflicted upon Artsakh. Instead of addressing the brutal realities of the Armenian ethnic cleansing, he focuses on a sanitized, feel-good narrative that contributes to the erasure of Azerbaijan’s atrocities. His greenwashing approach is a powerful reminder of the need for responsible storytelling, especially for influencers with global reach. Failing to present the full picture allows authoritarian regimes to escape accountability.
Beyond COP29’s greenwashed veneer, Azerbaijan’s government is led by President Ilham Aliyev, who succeeded his father in 2003, continuing a dynastic rule. Despite claiming to be an open, tolerant society, the regime is known for silencing journalists, jailing political opponents, and heavily censoring opposition voices. In one stark example of its tightly controlled political landscape, Azerbaijan’s election commission accidentally released “final” results showing Aliyev’s victory in the 2013 election before voting even began”a blatant display of electoral manipulation that sparked international condemnation. With no genuine opposition and persistent repression of activists, the Aliyev regime has remained in power unchallenged, using propaganda to maintain a carefully crafted image on the world stage.
As Azerbaijan prepares to host COP29, Nas Daily’s video glosses over the country’s fossil fuel dependence, repressive governance, and efforts to erase Armenian culture. By omitting these critical issues, Yassin’s video aids Azerbaijan’s attempt to project a progressive image, masking its environmental, cultural, and human rights abuses.
This selective storytelling underscores the importance of holding influential creators accountable, particularly when covering countries with authoritarian regimes that seek to enhance their global standing.
