One Thing is Historical Reality, Another Thing is the Fabrication of a Desired Past: A Call to Azerbaijan

The Gardman-Shirvan-Nakhichevan Pan-Armenian Union calls on Azerbaijan to acknowledge the multiple crimes against Armenians committed during its century-long history and to make practical efforts towards the fair restoration of all rights of Armenians affected by Azerbaijani aggression at different times.

This is stated in the announcement of the Gardman-Shirvan-Nakhichevan Pan-Armenian Union, regarding the dissemination of false scientific political discourses by Azerbaijan. The selective approach to historical facts, the rewriting of the past, and the formation of unilateral visions of the future corresponding to it are shining examples of Azerbaijani political hypocrisy.

This explains Azerbaijan’s strong desire to conceal its complex historical past as a young state, because one thing is historical reality, and another is the fabrication of a desired past. Thus, the entire Azerbaijani historiography is nothing more than a contrast between the desired and the real, from which there are two exits: either to accept the realities, confront them genuinely, and strive to correct their consequences, or adopt complete denial, repeating the dangerous practices of ethnic cleansing, cultural genocide, total violations of human rights, and the disregard of international authoritative institutions.

It is not difficult to notice the destructive approach adopted by Azerbaijan. A superficial study of Azerbaijani society clearly shows that all layers of this state are engaged around one problem – developing anti-Armenian discourses.

The various initiatives containing claims on the sovereign territory of Armenia, conducted under the guise of non-political civil organizations, the actions of government performers, empty and unfounded speeches, scientific discourses, festivals, presentations, and congresses clearly expose Azerbaijan's real perceptions of regional stability and coexistence.

The strenuous efforts to substantiate political goals with rights-less and historically unknown fabricated theses, in the case of confronting the past atrocities, would serve to establish constructive relations, and we would witness a real process of resolution of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, rather than its imitation.

Therefore, we call on Azerbaijan to take into account the multiple atrocities committed against Armenians during its century-long history, including the massacre of 30,000 Armenians in Baku in 1918, the violence and massacres against Armenians in predominantly Armenian settlements from 1918 to 1920, the massacres in Sumgait in 1988, Baku in 1990, Maragha in 1992, the complete ethnic cleansing of historical Gardman, Shirvan, and Nakhichevan, the appropriation, distortion, and destruction of Armenian cultural heritage, the war crimes committed during the 44-day war unleashed against Artsakh and Armenia in 2020, the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor for 10 months, the humanitarian disaster caused in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the real ethnic cleansing carried out in September 2023 and its consequences, and to make practical efforts towards the fair restoration of all rights of Armenians affected by Azerbaijani aggression at different times.