The AAC expressed alarm over the involvement of foreign diplomats in the dissemination of historical falsifications in Azerbaijan.

ArmInfo. The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin issued a statement strongly condemning the statements made by Azerbaijani Presidential Aide Hikmet Hajiyev during his recent visit to the Gandzasar and Dadivank monasteries, in which he denies their Armenian identity and presents them as Albanian, as well as his ironic attitude toward the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Armenian people.

"These attempts to distort historical realities for political purposes are a blatant falsification and an attack on the historical memory and spiritual heritage of the Armenian people. This practice is an undisguised expression of the anti-Armenian policy pursued by the Azerbaijani authorities. These regular propaganda visits are aimed at misleading the international community." “The participation of foreign diplomats accredited in Azerbaijan and representatives of international organizations in the dissemination of historical falsifications is particularly alarming,” reads a statement from the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), distributed by the press office of the Mother See of Etchmiadzin. The statement emphasizes that the participants of this visit to Holy Etchmiadzin will give a proper assessment to the distortion of the identity of Armenian shrines, attacks on the spiritual and cultural heritage of Artsakh, and anti-Armenian policies, and will not contribute to the justification of the policy of appropriating Armenian historical heritage with their participation.

"The Armenian Apostolic Holy Church has repeatedly warned that, following the forced exodus of Armenians from Artsakh, the Azerbaijani authorities are pursuing a policy of appropriating historical monuments, destroying Armenian shrines, khachkars, and cemeteries, as well as destroying documents confirming their authenticity, another manifestation of which is Hajiyev's statements.

The ongoing attacks on the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage of Artsakh must be duly assessed by the Armenian authorities, and effective measures must be taken to prevent them.

The Holy See calls on friendly states, international and national institutions to exert every effort to prevent further destruction and "The appropriation of ancient Christian Armenian heritage. Establishing lasting peace in the region requires respect for faith, historical memory, and the fundamental rights of peoples. Preserving the pristine spiritual heritage of Artsakh and realizing the rights of the Armenian Church and the people who founded it is an inalienable international obligation," the Armenian Apostolic Church emphasized.

It should be noted that late last week, it became known that representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps accredited in Baku visited occupied Artsakh. They visited Shushi and Stepanakert, where the Azerbaijani occupation regime is erasing all Armenian presence under the tacit encouragement of the so-called civilized international community. They then visited the Armenian monasteries of Dadivank and Gandzasar and listened with rapture to the tales of Azerbaijani presidential aide Himke Dajiyev, who claimed they were Albanian holy sites.

Among the participants was the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Magdalena Grono, who also witnessed the performance of Azerbaijani presidential aide Himket Hajiyev. Hajiyev, in particular, attempted to accuse Armenia of falsifying history, using mock-ups of ancient manuscripts on display in the museum of occupied Gandzasar as a means of doing so.