Hajiyev: Azerbaijan is committed to preserving the Christian heritage on its territory as it is part of its history

In a Euronews Forum panel in Dubai, Azerbaijan’s presidential advisor Hikmet Hajiyev said peace with Armenia is “an uphill struggle,” but Azerbaijan, as if, is committed to preserving the Christian heritage on its territory as it is part of its history․

In a manner typical of Azerbaijani propaganda, Hajiyev stated that “revanchist forces” in Armenia and the Armenian diaspora “are still strong” and are trying to undermine the historic peace process between the former rivals.

Hajiyev told Euronews that “probably Armenian government and Armenian leadership should work to prepare their people for the peace as well.”

“Now we won the war, but we are also winning in peace which is an uphill struggle,” said Hajiyev.

Hajiyev further said Azerbaijan is dedicated to “preserving the Christian heritage on the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, regardless of their belonging, and that is a full stop because it’s our cultural heritage.”

It mut be noted that now physical traces of Armenian life are disappearing in Nagorno-Karabakh. Satellite monitoring has documented the destruction of churches, cemeteries, and villages. Karintak has been almost entirely razed. In Stepanakert, Azerbaijan has demolished two Armenian churches, including the Holy Mother of God Cathedral, which was consecrated in 2019. A cemetery in Shushi containing Armenian and Russian graves, medieval khachkars, and nineteenth century gravestones was also destroyed. Meanwhile, Gandzasar and Dadivank are presented as Aghvan heritage.