No:639/23, Commentary of the MFA Spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada regarding the groundless allegations by the Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan during his speech at the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference
We strongly reject the Armenian Foreign Minister’s baseless and deceitful allegations against Azerbaijan during his speech of November 9, 2023 at the 42nd session of the General Conference of UNESCO in Paris.
It is absolutely unacceptable for Armenia to hypocritically continue to accuse Azerbaijan of conducting an alleged “ethnic cleansing” against Armenians who voluntarily moved to Armenia, and attempt to misuse international platforms to this end, while it has committed massacres and crimes against humanity and has violated the fundamental rights of almost 1 million Azerbaijanis during the 30 years of its military aggression.
It is apparent that these baseless allegations openly contradict the reports and statements of UN agencies visiting the region, as well as those which are actively working in Armenia.
Concerning the claims that cultural and historical monuments are allegedly in danger in Azerbaijan's Garabagh region, it is completely unreasonable for Armenia to accuse Azerbaijan in this matter, while Armenia itself is known for deliberately destroying, appropriating, changing, and illegally transporting Azerbaijani cultural heritage in Armenia proper, as well as in the formerly occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
The Armenian Minister’s inappropriate reference to the ruling of the International Court of Justice in this regard is nothing more than an attempt to distort the Court decisions.
The historical and religious monuments located in the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan are our national and cultural heritage and are being protected regardless of their secular or religious origins.
Armenia's calls for an assessment mission to Azerbaijan's Garabagh region from an international platform such as UNESCO, which is responsible for cultural, religious, and historical preservation, are nothing more than hypocrisy. Although Azerbaijan has frequently requested the implementation of evaluation missions, this has not been possible owing to the obstacles put in place by Armenia. UNESCO itself has confirmed this fact in its 2005 report.
We are once again witnessing Armenia's smear campaign against Azerbaijan continue by its false and slanderous rhetoric from numerous international platforms, intent on undermining the chances of the peace deal.
We hope that Armenia will not miss this historic opportunity for peace in the region and will not hinder efforts for regional stability and economic development, which will ultimately be to the benefit of itself.