OMM Redaksiyası
The Alban-Udi Christian religious community of Azerbaijan has condemned Armenia’s revanchist response to a diplomatic corps visit to liberated territories in Azerbaijan.
"Operative Information Center-OMM" reports that Robert Mobili, chairman of Azerbaijan’s Alban-Udi Christian religious community, issued a statement on the matter. The statement said:
In the name of our One Creator.
We, members of the Alban-Udi Christian religious community, successor to the Alban (Caucasian) Apostolic Autocephalous Church, strongly condemn the revanchist attitude displayed by Armenian society and political circles toward the visit of representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan to Garabagh and Eastern Zangazur, particularly to the Gandzasar and Khudavang monasteries belonging to the Alban historical and cultural heritage.
We believe that attempts by Armenia, including Armenian lobbying circles that have still not abandoned war propaganda, as well as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and other senior officials who claim to support the peace agenda, to present historical Azerbaijani monuments such as Gandzasar and Khudavang as Armenian heritage not only deny and falsify historical facts, but also threaten the fragile peace process taking shape in the region. The deliberate campaign in Armenia against the diplomatic corps’ visit demonstrates that the country’s political and religious circles are not sincere in their desire for peace and remain intolerant of Azerbaijan’s legitimate rights.
We declare that Caucasian Albania is an integral part of Azerbaijani statehood and that Armenia’s policy of denying the historical and cultural heritage of Caucasian Albania is unacceptable. Such provocative activity by Armenia is an expression of false national exceptionalism, fabricated history and elements of racism. Armenia’s intolerant and hostile attitude toward Caucasian Albania, particularly its religious and cultural heritage, clearly shows that it fears the truth.
The Alban Church, as the first apostolic church in the Caucasus, has passed through a long historical path and left an indelible mark on the religious and cultural life not only of Azerbaijan, but of the entire Caucasus. All attacks against a heritage that created a great civilization and had its own alphabet will fail. The facts cannot be denied. History shows that in 313, Albanian King Urnayr adopted Christianity as the state religion. The history of the Khudavang Monastery, one of the magnificent examples of Azerbaijani architecture, dates back to the sixth and seventh centuries. How can history be changed or falsified? It is an undeniable fact that the Gandzasar monastery was built between 1216 and 1238 on the instructions of Albanian prince Hasan Jalal Dawla and received the blessing of Albanian patriarch Nerses in 1240. Gandzasar is especially important and valuable to us because it served as the residence of the Albanian Catholicosate. Princes and clergy from Hasan Jalal’s dynasty, including Hasan Jalal Allahverdi bey, were buried on the monastery grounds.
Unfortunately, following various pressures and influences, a decision by the Tsarist Synod ended the activity of the Alban Apostolic Church in 1836, while the Armenian Gregorian Church attempted to appropriate part of its material and spiritual heritage. As a result, historical Albanian monasteries in Azerbaijan, particularly in Garabagh, were Gregorianized, while archival materials and documents, alongside historical monuments, were either destroyed or falsified. Attempts to Armenianize and appropriate the historical and cultural heritage of Caucasian Albania, an integral part of Azerbaijani statehood, through countless fabrications have become Armenia’s state policy over the past century. As a result, not a single Albanian monastery in its historical form has been preserved in present-day Armenia or in Azerbaijan’s territories that were formerly under occupation.
Appropriating the historical and cultural heritage of Caucasian Albania and creating a fabricated history for oneself means opposing both the past and the future and undermining the foundations of good-neighborly relations and peaceful coexistence. The continuation of this policy today, with the support of Armenia’s leadership, is unacceptable. History must be studied, written and presented as it was. We, the first Christians of this land, firmly reject attempts by Armenians to appropriate our historical and religious-cultural heritage.
Historical reality proves that the historical, political, cultural and religious heritage of Caucasian Albania belongs to the Azerbaijani state and people, where different ethnic groups, religions and beliefs have lived together for centuries in an atmosphere of tolerance. As a Christian community that preserves its language, religion and traditions today, we will continue to protect the sacred heritage left to us by our ancestors and to fight Armenian falsification.
Today, just as we worship in churches in Gabala and Oghuz, we freely conduct religious rites and ceremonies in ancient Albanian monasteries in the liberated territories, including Gandzasar, Aghoglan, Khudavang, Amaras and other sacred sites.
After Azerbaijan restored its independence, a favorable opportunity emerged to eliminate the injustice faced by the Alban Apostolic Church, objectively study its history and convey it to the international community. The Azerbaijani government is carrying out extensive work to restore and repair all historical and religious monuments in the country, regardless of affiliation, and approaches this heritage with particular sensitivity. Magnificent monuments belonging to the Alban heritage have been restored and placed under state protection, including the Apostolic Church of Elishe in Kish village, Shaki district, considered the “mother of churches” in the Caucasus, and the Chotari and Mother Mary churches in Nic settlement, Gabala district, where the Udi people live compactly. The restoration of Albanian monuments is important not only for Azerbaijan, but also for the entire Christian world, as it helps restore historical justice and preserve the atmosphere of tolerance in the country. For all this, we once again express our deep gratitude to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
We reiterate that the liberation of our lands from occupation restored historical justice, ensured Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and created new realities in the region. The Armenian side must finally accept this reality and permanently refrain from steps, revanchist propaganda and distortions of historical facts that obstruct the peace process, which is essential for the security and well-being of our region and its peoples. We have visited Garabagh several times and performed religious rites there, commemorating the souls of our ancestors resting in those lands. We plan to visit again in the near future.
May the Almighty help us.”
