Representatives of Azerbaijani civil society have sent an open letter to the leadership of the OSCE and the Council of Europe.
In the letter, they addressed the current OSCE Chairman-in-Office Ian Borg and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset.
"We, the representatives of the civil society of Azerbaijan, appeal to you regarding the fact that hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis who were forced out of their historical homelands and homes in Armenia 36 years ago and became refugees are still unable to return to Irevan, Goycha, and other historical homes in Western Azerbaijan.",
said in the letter.
The message recalls that Azerbaijanis have historically lived in Armenia. However, despite this, a systematic campaign has been carried out in the country, the aim of which was the deliberate destruction of the material and cultural heritage of Azerbaijanis, and it has not stopped for decades.
"We note with a heavy heart that today, only one out of 269 mosques registered on the territory of Armenia in 1870 has survived",
said in the letter.
The document also reports on the systematic destruction of hundreds of Azerbaijani cemeteries.
"The capital of the Republic of Armenia, the city of Irevan, was once divided into Shahar, Damirbulag, and Tapabashi districts. Azerbaijanis lived in these areas from the time the city was established until the end of the 20th century. The name of the Tapabashi neighborhood, which was built and inhabited by Azerbaijanis, was later changed to Kond. ",
the document says.
Its authors emphasize that the Tapabashi neighborhood is one of the few surviving examples of Azerbaijani cultural heritage, but, unfortunately, the Armenian government intends to destroy it as part of its efforts to erase the cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people.
The letter states that in May 2024, the representatives of Azerbaijani civil society wrote an open letter to the Director-General of UNESCO, Ms. Audrey Azoulay, asking her to implement effective measures that would prevent the destruction of the Tapabashi neighborhood, as well as to send a fact-finding mission there.
"We stated that we are ready for dialogue and interaction with UNESCO within the framework of the norms and mechanisms of international law in order to stop and restore the destruction.We also called called on UNESCO to take the Tapabashi district under its protection as a unique example of world cultural heritage, and expressed our readiness to closely cooperate with UNESCO in monitoring efforts",
the letter says.
The authors specified that there was no response from the organization to their letter. The Council of Europe and the OSCE, which, according to their statements, act to protect human rights, also did not react.
"The Irevan Fortress, the Khan's Palace, the Abbas Mirza Mosque and many other monuments,which represent valuable examples of the material heritage of the Azerbaijani people on the territory of Armenia, have been completely destroyed. The history of the Blue Mosque, built by Khan of Iravan Huseyn Ali Khan in the 18th century, has been distorted and portrayed as a mosque belonging to another nation",
the message says.
The letter refers to the fact that the destruction of the Azerbaijani cultural monuments by Armenia is a serious violation of a number of international conventions, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention for the Safeguarding of the World Heritage, the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
"The policy of ethnic cleansing pursued by Armenia has seriously damaged Azerbaijan's intangible cultural heritage. For example, the Goycha ashiq school, one of the main schools of Azerbaijani ashiq art, which has been included in the UNESCO list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, has been severed from its origins. Armenia has destroyed the statue and gravestone of renowned Azerbaijani performer Ashiq Alasgar in his native Goycha district. This is a demonstrative insult to the people of Azerbaijan",
said in the appeal.
The signatories to the letter clarify that the fact of the destruction of the Azerbaijani cultural heritage by Armenia violates the right of Azerbaijanis to use cultural heritage and protect their culture, and also puts obstacles in the way of peace and dialogue, hindering reconciliation efforts in the region.
"We demand that both the Council of Europe and the OSCE express an explicit position on the mentioned issues. This behavior is no different from the attitude shown toward the war crimes Armenia perpetrated during the years when Azerbaijani lands were under occupation and the violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms of Azerbaijani refugees. Azerbaijani society has legitimately lost faith in the OSCE, the Council of Europe, and UNESCO",
the message says.
It states that shortly after the anti-terror operation that took place on September 19-20 last year, PACE took a biased step against the Azerbaijani delegation. All this is unacceptable, and the instigators of such a policy will not achieve their goals.
"The OSCE and the Council of Europe should not adopt a double-standard approach to these issues. They should be objective and impartial. As representatives of Azerbaijan’s civil society, we are ready to cooperate with all relevant organizations in this area, provide additional information, and mediate efforts to protect the material and cultural heritage of Azerbaijanis in Armenia",
the letter says.
"We, therefore, urge you to encourage Armenia to restore and protect the cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people in accordance with its international obligations. In line with the principles reflected in the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Armenia must ensure the protection of the cultural and historical heritage of Azerbaijanis and their safe and dignified return to their ancestral lands",
the authors of the letter say.
