Azernews.Az

Qabil Ashirov

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At a time when the South Caucasus stands on the threshold of a fateful, historic milestone, certain Russian media resources and commissioned channels have launched a coordinated assault against Azerbaijan. The so-called anxieties being brought forward under the guise of "Armenian cultural heritage" in Karabakh neither serve culture nor represent a natural process. This is merely the next mechanism of pressure, instantly deployed by the Russian propaganda machine whenever a geopolitical turning point emerges in the region. The script is old, and the objective is clear.

Today, the decades-long ice between Azerbaijan and Armenia is finally melting. The establishment of direct commercial ties between the two countries, even within a limited framework, and the mutual visits of non-governmental organizations signal an entirely new reality in the region. The international community and both societies expect a final peace treaty to be signed by the end of this year at best, or by early next year at worst.

It is no coincidence that right at such a historic juncture, blatantly provocative programs against Azerbaijan have begun to surface in the Russian media. Instead of being genuine partners for peace, those who screen pro-separatist, Russian citizens of Armenian descent and revanchists to lecture us on "culture" are actually aiming to sabotage the entire process.

The ultimate disgrace that exposes the hypocrisy of those pushing this agenda today is their highly selective approach to the concept of "cultural heritage." When Karabakh and its surrounding districts remained under Armenian occupation for 30 years—when hundreds of Azerbaijani mosques, caravanserais, and historical monuments were razed to the ground, and our sacred sites were desecrated by being turned into pigsties—why were these channels and "experts" completely silent? Why did they never once produce a report on the systematic destruction of the Azerbaijani heritage?

Speaking to AzerNEWS on the issue, historian and researcher Rizvan Huseynov noted that undoubtedly, the main goal here is not to protect some cultural heritage; Russia has a specific political line.

“We are also interested in why they are looking for a new mechanism of pressure within this political line through the so-called “Armenian heritage and monuments” (in Karabakh) . As far as I know, these attempts are actually directed towards Azerbaijan. That is to say, we see that there are still some problems left over from Russia's unsuccessful policy in the region regarding Russia-Azerbaijan relations, especially after the downing of an Azerbaijani civilian aircraft in Russian airspace,” Rizvan Huseynov said.

He added that Russia, for its part, is looking for some means to influence Azerbaijan at the level of international organizations. They presumably believe that this is the most ideal option.

“We see that there are churches built during the period of occupation. The moment a minor thing happens to them, the Russian media immediately raises a hue and cry. However, Azerbaijani monuments that are hundreds of years old, including mosques, caravanserais, etc., both within the territory of Armenia and in the territories that remained under Armenian occupation for nearly 30 years, have been destroyed. For some reason, this does not cross the minds of the people in the Russian press.

I mean to say that this is purely a political project. In fact, if you notice, it is not just Russia that brings up the so-called Armenian cultural heritage in Karabakh. France, too, occasionally brings the issue to the agenda at the level of European organizations. Usually, these actions are synchronized. As I have mentioned before, on certain issues, France and Russia act in sync, wishing to exert pressure on Azerbaijan,” Huseynov concluded.