About the "tolerance" of the Republic of Baku. "Monument Watch"

"Monument Watch". After the 44-day war of 2020, the Azerbaijani side began to widely promote a thesis according to which the Republic of Baku (ed.) is a multicultural country, where the rights of all national minorities are protected, there are no obstacles for the implementation of religious ceremonies of these nationalities, the construction of religious buildings, and that the multicultural character is characteristic of Baku.

The Azerbaijani side, especially after 2020, actively increased the distribution of such videos with a propaganda tendency, wanting to show that the accusations about the destruction and change of the Armenian cultural heritage are groundless and that Armenians will not have problems in the Republic of Baku (ed.). As an argument, from 2020, the Azerbaijani side began to widely display photos of the Armenian St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in the center of Baku, publish videos, as if you see: the multicultural policy of the Republic of Baku (ed.), the tolerant attitude also extends to the Armenian cultural heritage, and the center of Baku as its pledge the Armenian church is standing, which is maintained and repaired by the Azerbaijani state.

If until 2023, the official news media were engaged in spreading these theses, then in 2023 and 2024, many media figures operating in the Republic of Baku (ed.) became participants in this campaign, publishing small videos from the same Baku church. Since 2024, a new trend has appeared, some media persons started publishing videos about the standing churches, mainly of the 19th century, in the previously Armenian-populated areas, to show that the Azerbaijani side also preserves the Armenian churches in the Baku (ed.) regions. The videos are mainly from the cities of Ganja, Shamkhor. The Azerbaijani side naturally does not show the ruins of dozens of Armenian villages, destroyed, damaged Armenian churches, cemeteries in the historical Utik, neighboring areas. Facts that have been documented since the Soviet years by Armenian specialists, and especially by Samvel Karapetyan, who raised this issue, including thanks to dozens of scientific publications, where new photos found with great difficulty were posted.

It is noteworthy that in the Azerbaijani videos churches built before the 19th century are called Agvanite, only those built in the 19th century are Armenian. Here, the Azerbaijani side is also indirectly spreading the propaganda lie that Armenians appeared in the region only in the 19th century. Among these videos, apart from churches, Armenian cemeteries also have an important place. Burials from the Soviet years and the end of the 19th century in good condition are shown as proof that despite the conflict, the Azerbaijanis did not damage the Armenian cemeteries either. Another unique aspect of these videos is that it is specially emphasized that there are no Muslim cemeteries, burials, mosques in the territory of Armenia, because the Armenians destroyed them. It is constantly mentioned that the Armenians, unlike them, have also widely destroyed the Azerbaijani cemeteries. Currently, a new approach is being shown. the issue of national minorities living in Armenia is raised in the media. as if they are a small number because Armenians are intolerant.

Thus, the Azerbaijani side is resorting to an obvious lie to show that the Armenian churches and cemeteries in the Republic of Baku (ed.) are standing and have not been damaged.

No matter how much the Azerbaijani side tries to demonstrate its "tolerance" through propaganda means, only the cases of destruction of Armenian cultural heritage in the occupied Artsakh in the last 4 years, as well as hundreds of Armenian monuments destroyed during the Soviet years in the same Artsakh territory, speak of the intolerant and aggressive nature of Baku (ed.). :