UNESCO

Ms. AUDRE AZOULAY
Director — General, UNESCO

Dear Madam Azoulay,

Please accept my most sincere assurances of deepest respect to you. | have recently read numerous appeals to UNESCO by cultural figures who are concerned about the fate of the Christian churches and monuments in Karabakh region liberated by Azerbaijan which caused my great concern. There is nothing more baseless than accusing our country of disrespect to various religions, confessions and cultural monuments. The numerous charitable actions of our state aimed at preserving, restoring religious shrines not only in our country, but also in France, Italy, Vatican City,Russia and other countries are well-known facts. As a sign of deep appreciation
and gratitude for many years of her service in this direction, the First Lady of Azerbaijan — Mehriban Aliyeva was awarded medals and orders from these very countries.

Nevertheless, all these facts, widely covered in international press remained unlisted by those who signed the appeals and complaints to different organizations regarding the matter. These individuals, having yielded to the tearful and fake requests of the Armenian side, have done so without examining the essence of the problem and put their signatures under these questionable documents.

Armenia being a mono-ethnic state is another well-known fact, where there is no place for people of other nationalities and religions. We were continuously surprised by their adamant unwillingness to «build bridges», establish a dialogue with the other side of the conflict. Moreover, if you read the «works» of the Armenian ideologue Zori Balayan, that serves as a source for anti-Azerbaijani hysteria and separatist claims to the ancesiral lands of Azerbaijan, you can see the essence of the Armenian chauvinism bordering on cruelty and racism.

For over 30 years, the Azerbaijani side has offered to hold bilateral meetings, aton the level of people who once collaborated in the field of art and culture. But the Armenian side could not endure this format , feeling the weakness of its arguments and refusing to engage in a dialogue. And now, after the noble victory of the Azerbaijani army, they are using all unseemly methods of pressure on the international community, misleading them with fake facts and appeals. The corrupt journalists hired by the Armenian oligarchs for a fee have flooded media and social networks with rampant lies, literally spreading disinformation.

The Armenians, leaving the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, do not hesitate to give interviews with blazing flames on the background of houses, forests, landscapes, cultural sites, schools and kindergartens they themselves set on fire. These pictures of barbaric destructions and ashes resemble the apocalypse. Moreover, the Armenians have an amazing ability to either proudly declare their «great history and thousand-year culture», the mythical «Great Armenia from sea to sea», or they turn into an always crying nation who asks for the helping hand of a patron.

The questions arise- why shouldn’t these «patriots» of Armenia provide their residents with normal living conditions, since it’s only a small population (less than 3 million). Maybe then they would not have sought to quickly escape Armenia and emigrate, or put claims forward against foreign territories? Could they finally become a self-sufficient country that did not need anyone’s help and patronage? Isn’t it time to finally turn thier gaze at themselves, look in the mirror and blame not the whole world for their troubles, but themselves?

In my opinion, our cultural sites in towns and villages abandoned by Armenians should be of much greater concern to UNESCO. Having generated a huge ecological catastrophe on the fruitful lands of Karabakh, illegally extracting minerals that are public property of my people for more than 30 years, these newcomers are still trying to gain pity of people and various organizations unfamiliar with the situation. And what for? To start a new round of tension and collisions?

We returned to the lands of Karabakh with our heads held high as a result of the strategic policy of our President and Commander-in-Chief, Ilham Aliyev, thanks to the courage and endless love for the Motherland of our heroic soldiers and our beautiful youth. We do not ask anyone for anything. We only need peace to heal the wounds of war, to restore the former beauty of Karabakh, to live and create again on our lands.

After all, Karabakh is the cradle of culture where the brilliant Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli began his journey, the unique art of Mugam hails from, the voices of the great “khanende” singers — Seyid and Khan Shushinski sounded, the grave and mausoleum of the poet Vagif was housed. These names are a symbol of national identity for us. The Azerbaijani people could never come to terms with the occupation for all 32 years!

Now we have returned, although to the destroyed, but still beloved land. Despitethe hardships and irreparable losses we have experienced, now we live through the happiest times in our Homeland’s history. And no inference of the enemies of Truth and Justice can cast a shadow on our great prosperity, on the pure and holy feelings of love for the Motherland — Azerbaijan and its beautiful land — Karabakh.

With deep respect and kind regards,

Composer — Franghiz Alizadeh, “Artist for Peace” of UNESCO

F Minded