BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 21. The heads of religious confessions in Azerbaijan issued a joint statement in connection with the peaceful rally on Azerbaijan's Shusha-Lachin road, Trend reports on December 21.
"Expressing the wishes and will of our communities, we consider it necessary to state the following regarding the appeals spread by the Armenian side in order to mislead the society, in particular the church, in connection with peaceful protests of representatives of Azerbaijani non-governmental organizations (NGOs), intellectuals, youth, ecologists and journalists on the Shusha-Lachin road, against the illegal exploitation of natural resources, to take measures to prevent environmental terror in Azerbaijani lands, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily stationed,” the statement said.
“First of all, the protest rally of civil society representatives with slogans against the illegal exploitation of natural resources and infliction of damage to the environment, lasting more than a week, is peaceful and issues from the priorities of Azerbaijan's peaceful policy,” the statement noted. “The peaceful protesters are voicing slogans demanding an end to the plunder of Azerbaijan's natural resources and environmental pollution. According to research conducted by independent activists, on the mineral deposits, in particular, the Gizilbulag gold deposit and the Damirli copper-molybdenum deposit, illegal exploitation activities are conducted.”
“Contrary to previous relevant monitoring agreements, Armenian separatist forces prevented Azerbaijani experts from accessing these fields. Currently, the peaceful protesters demand an inspection of these deposits, the cessation of their illegal exploitation, monitoring and inventory in various areas, assessing potential risks to the environment and eliminating the consequences of damage,” the statement authors further said.
“We unequivocally declare that the information spread by the Armenian side, in particular, Etchmiadzin [the governing body of the Armenian Apostolic Church], is false and slanderous, and the allegations that the peaceful protests of NGOs provoked a humanitarian crisis are absolutely untrue,” the authors noted. “The videos taken from the place of the peaceful protests show that ambulances, as well as vehicles carrying humanitarian cargo, move freely along the road, and the organizers of the rally have provided all the necessary conditions for this.”
“In the event of humanitarian problems for Azerbaijani citizens of Armenian origin living in the Karabakh region, a hotline has been created to promptly resolve their appeals. During the rally in the Armenian press and propaganda of the Armenian diaspora, the assertion that the Khankandi-Lachin road was blocked by Azerbaijani NGOs and Azerbaijani media is unfounded, since the Azerbaijani side informed about the fact of blocking this road by Russian peacekeepers,” the statement pointed out.
“We regret that instead of conveying the truth, and demonstrating justice, the Armenian Church approaches this issue from a position of prejudice and slander, in line with the political situation, trying to describe the peaceful protest as a 'policy of ethnic cleansing' and ‘inhumane action’. The serious attempt by the Armenian Church to present the events as an ‘Armenian blockade and humanitarian catastrophe’ is nothing but a provocation and slander,” the statement also noted.
“Azerbaijan is a creative state not blocking, but building new roads and bridges. Azerbaijan's unequivocal position regarding the Lachin road, located on the Azerbaijani territory recognized by the international community, is that this road can be used not for military or any illegal actions, but for civil and humanitarian purposes,” the authors said. “The bitter truth is that for almost 30 years, as a result of ethnic cleansing, theft of natural resources, the destruction of spiritual heritage, and crimes against the ecosystem committed by Armenian extremists more than a million Azerbaijanis were forced to leave their ancestral lands.”
According to the statement, during the period of occupation, the flora and fauna of the territory were destroyed, the lands were burned, and the reservoirs were intoxicated.
“Our towns and villages were razed to the ground as a result of the urbicide. Due to the countless mines laid, the return of the population to their native lands is slowing down, and hundreds of civilians have become victims of mine terror. The fate of more than 4,000 of our citizens who went missing during the conflict is still unknown,” the statement emphasized.
“For almost 30 years, mosques, temples, cemeteries, historical monuments, museums, libraries were destroyed and looted in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Christian and Russian Orthodox churches belonging to Caucasian Albania were Gregorianized, mosques were turned into stables where animals considered forbidden in Islam were kept, which offends the entire Islamic world,” the authors said.
Besides, the statement authors noted that Azerbaijan is a peace-loving country and has demonstrated this through its consistent participation in peace negotiations over almost three decades of conflict, as well as its active participation in the negotiations for the signing of a peace treaty after victory in the 2020 Second Karabakh War.
“The non-constructive position of Armenia impedes the prospects for establishing peace and tranquility, the economic well-being of our region. Our state respects all ethnic and religious groups living on its territory, including Azerbaijani citizens of Armenian origin living in Karabakh, protects their rights and values,” the statement said. “Respect and care for the land, which is the blessing of the Almighty, for all the riches that are on it and in its unity, is the civic duty of both Azerbaijanis and Armenians living on Azerbaijani lands.”
“We, the leaders of religious denominations, have always followed the right path, and have been devoted to human values, our humanistic plan and the ideas of peaceful coexistence, and always called on the clergy of Armenia to peace, abandon military rhetoric and give preference to dialogue. With this statement, we call on the Armenian Church to the truth, not to draw the Armenian civilians living in Karabakh into revanchism, and not to engage in incitement,” the authors said.
“Besides, we call on the Armenian civilians living in Karabakh to take a joint and resolute position against the exploitation of natural resources granted by the Almighty and the commitment of environmental crimes on the lands resided by them,” the statement authors concluded.