Azerbaijan’s aggressive and expansionist policy towards Armenia has reached a new level of absurdity and falsification. Recently, the pro-government Baku TV channel aired a video that falsely presented the ancient Armenian Harichavank Monastery, located in the Shirak region of the Republic of Armenia, as a 5th century Turkish-Christian monastery belonging to Azerbaijan.
The video, invents a completely fictitious story, as if the Artik community of Armenia is a part of the so-called “Western Azerbaijan”. The video is based on false news that portray Armenians as “butchers” and claim that “Western Azerbaijanis should settle in Armenia”, the real goal of which is to erase the thousand-year history of Armenia and to occupy its territory.
The video also reveals the anti-Armenian and anti-Christian policy of the Azerbaijani government, which tries to appropriate the cultural and religious heritage of the Armenian people. The Harichavank Monastery, which dates back to the 7th century and was expanded in the 13th century, is one of the most important and magnificent examples of Armenian medieval architecture and art. It has been recognized as a historical and cultural monument by the Armenian government and is under its protection.
The video also shows the ignorance and distortion of the historical facts by the Azerbaijani propaganda. The state of Azerbaijan did not exist in the 5th century, nor did it have any Christian monastic complexes. The name Azerbaijan was given to the region south of the Araxes river, which is now part of Iran, by the Turkic invaders in the 11th century. The modern state of Azerbaijan was created in the early 20th century by the Bolsheviks, who annexed the territories of the historical Armenian provinces of Artsakh, Nakhichevan, and Syunik.
The video is a clear example of the ongoing cultural genocide that Azerbaijan is committing against the Armenian people. In the recent war, which was unleashed by Azerbaijan with the support of Turkey and jihadist mercenaries, the Azerbaijani forces deliberately targeted and destroyed many Armenian cultural and religious sites in the occupied territories of Artsakh. They also vandalized and desecrated the Armenian churches and cemeteries, and looted the historical artifacts and manuscripts.
The international community should condemn and counter the Azerbaijani propaganda, which is aimed at denying the existence and identity of the Armenian people, and violating their rights and dignity. The Armenian heritage belongs to the Armenian people, and no amount of lies and falsifications can change that.
Artatsolum
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