Azerbaijan Undertakes the Practice of Alienating Cultural Values from the Armenian People

Recently, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited the occupied territories of the Republic of Artsakh, particularly the Hadrut region and the city of Shushi, which have come under Azerbaijani control as a result of aggression involving direct participation from Turkey and its proxy armed terrorists. Throughout the war, Azerbaijani armed forces committed mass atrocities against the Armenian population of Artsakh, including ethnic cleansing and war crimes, in clear violation of international humanitarian law.

During the Azerbaijani occupation of the Hadrut region, formerly thriving communities with tens of thousands of residents have been completely depopulated, and numerous civilians have been killed. The international community, including the UN Human Rights Commissioner and Human Rights Watch, has expressed a clear stance regarding the events in Hadrut, which involve reprisals against captured civilians in blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions.

Statements made by the President of Azerbaijan in the Hadrut region reveal an intention to destroy Armenian settlements and replace them with Azerbaijani ones, violating the provisions of the November 9, 2020, tripartite statement, which stipulates that displaced individuals should return to their homeland. This also proves that the Armenian population under Azerbaijani control cannot survive.

Moreover, within the framework of its ethnic cleansing policy, Azerbaijan is taking systematic steps aimed at erasing and appropriating the cultural heritage of Artsakh. Alongside the physical destruction of cultural monuments in Artsakh under its control, Azerbaijan has also undertaken at the highest level the reprehensible practice of falsifying historical facts and alienating the religious and cultural values of the Armenian people. This goal is also reflected in the President of Azerbaijan's statement regarding the 17th-century Armenian church in the village of Zaghkour, asserting it is “Aghvan” and labeling the Armenian inscriptions on its walls as “forged,” thus preparing the ground for further vandalism.

It is noteworthy that in the published video, the mentioned church has already been subjected to vandalism, as religious symbols have been removed from it. In this light, the presence of destruction in the city of Shushi, specifically concerning the St. John the Baptist Church, famously known as “Green Hour,” is particularly alarming. Remarkably, the church was destroyed months after military operations ceased. The concerns expressed by the Armenian side from the very first days of Armenian historical-cultural monuments falling under Azerbaijani control are effectively becoming a reality.

These facts demonstrate that Azerbaijan's assurances regarding their country's preservation of Christian historical-cultural heritage and readiness to cooperate with UNESCO are entirely false. In the current situation, urgent international intervention is necessary, particularly from UNESCO, to save the still-untouched monuments.

Peace based on the destruction of Artsakh's peaceful communities, historical-cultural heritage, and the annihilation of the Armenian population, combined with the establishment of Azerbaijani settlements, cannot be stable and lasting. We will continue our struggle for fair and dignified peace, closely collaborating with international partners.