Baku: President Ilham Aliyev addressed the destruction of Azerbaijani cultural heritage by Armenia, emphasizing that the Azerbaijani people have faced deprivation, deportation, and genocide over the past two centuries. Possessing an ancient history of statehood and culture, the Azerbaijani population has repeatedly been displaced from their ancestral lands due to conflicts and illegal resettlements, particularly in the years 1905-1907, 1918-1921, 1948-1953, and 1987-1991.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, President Aliyev highlighted that Armenians were relocated to Azerbaijani lands, and as a result, hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis were forced to flee their homes and seek refuge elsewhere. The President stated that the deportation of Azerbaijanis from mountainous regions in Armenia to warmer climates, along with the misappropriation of their properties and the destruction of their cultural artifacts, are documented historical events.
President Aliyev further remarked that Armenia repeatedly destroyed the material and intangible cultural heritage of Azerbaijanis in Western Azerbaijan, including sacred sites and cemeteries, in an effort to erase Azerbaijani traces from the region. He stressed the importance of assessing these actions within an international legal framework and securing international support to address the crimes against humanity committed by Armenia against Azerbaijanis.