Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

A documentary “Irevan: Hidden Truth” was presented in Baku on December 21.

The film (in Azerbaijani, Russian and English languages) was shot as part of cooperation between Virtual Karabakh Information-Communication Technology Center, the Institute of History of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and the Youth and Sport Ministry.

The coordinator of Virtual Karabakh Information-Communication Technology Center, chair of the Public Council for Youth Affairs Nuraddin Mehdiyev, speaking at the ceremony, said the film aims to increase the international community`s awareness of the cultural legacy of the ancient Azerbaijani city of Irevan.

Mehdiyev said that the documentary “Irevan: Hidden Truth” shows that the city of Irevan, which is one of the ancient cultural centers of Azerbaijan, belonged to Azerbaijani Turks and Armenians tried to conceal this truth for years.

“No architectural and historical monuments, which are over 200 years old, except one mosque, remained in the modern Yerevan – they are wiped out from the face of the earth,” Mehdiyev said.

He noted that the film, bringing historical facts and descriptions, tells about the founding of the city of Irevan, the Turkic-Muslim power in the city, the Irevan fortress, mosques, squares and caravanserais, trade stalls, baths, gardens, as well as about the capture of Irevan by tsarist Russia and the demographic situation, destruction of the cultural heritage of Azerbaijanis in Irevan, their deportation from the city, and the Azerbaijani cultural heritage in modern Yerevan.

Presidential Assistant for Public and Political Affairs Ali Hasanov described the film as a serious project.

“It is an important project, but it is not enough. We should give an updated description of the history of the ancient city of Irevan, as well as mosques, monuments there. Postcards, booklets depicting these should be made, and then handed out to tourists so that they see how Armenians destroy Azerbaijan`s history. Our diplomats, who travel abroad, our fellow countrymen, who live in foreign countries, as well as our young people, should contribute to the promotion of this film worldwide,” he said.

“Sometimes we explain the pro-Armenian circles in the Christian world, but they show doubt towards us against the background of the Christian-Muslim discrimination. Therefore, we have to do a lot in order to reveal the Armenians’ frauds,” he clarified.

The official went on to say that neighborhood with Armenians has given Azerbaijan only problems, danger of destruction of Azerbaijani culture and threats to security.

“While speaking about the massacres committed against the Azerbaijani people over the last 200 years, national leader Heydar Aliyev said that the neighborhood with Armenians always puts a geopolitical task in front of Azerbaijan that we shouldn’t forget,” said Hasanov. “Usually neighboring countries benefit each other’s development, but the neighborhood with Armenians has given us only problems, danger of destruction of our culture and threats to our security, and there has been genocide against our people.

The top official emphasized that Azerbaijan’s geopolitical task is to protect our history, culture, physical existence and future development from the Armenians.

Minister of Youth and Sport Azad Rahimov, in turn, said Armenians destroy intangible, cultural history of the Azerbaijani people in the occupied lands.

“These atrocities had previously been committed in Irevan, then in Zangazur, Goycha, Verdibasar and other historic Azerbaijani territories. But Irevan suffered the most damage,” he said.

Rahimov said there is probably no other city in the world that was destroyed so much as Irevan. “Hundreds of historic monuments were destroyed. The remaining two or three monuments are shown as belonging to other nations,” the minister added.

The Minister stressed that the presented film is a good way to bring scientific research to the masses.

“The Azerbaijani people will never forget the atrocities of the Armenians. The Irevan khanate, Zangazur, Goycha mahal are our historical lands, and we, Azerbaijanis, will return to these lands,” Rahimov said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

Overall, since the beginning of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and occupation of Azerbaijani territories, Armenian aggressors destroyed 1,200 historical and architectural monuments, looted 27 museums, over 100,000 items were exported to Armenia. In addition, the Armenian occupiers destroyed 152 religious monuments and 62 mosques, 4.6 million books in 927 libraries, including the Holy Quran and rare Islamic manuscripts.

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