BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. On June 23, France 2 TV channel aired a segment on the program "Christians of the East" about the destroyed religious monuments in Karabakh. As expected, the report was entirely anti-Azerbaijani. The authors of this "documentary" accused Azerbaijan of so-called "vandalism" and labeled the country as an "occupier," while referring to Azerbaijani lands as the "cradle of Armenian civilization".
Jean-Michel Brun, editor-in-chief of the Paris-based online newspaper La Gazette du Caucase, refutes these absurd claims with concrete facts in his article. He writes that it is actually the Azerbaijanis who have been victims of historical rewriting by Armenians over the last 30 years.
"It was the Armenian army that invaded the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan in 1993 and held Karabakh and the surrounding regions under occupation for nearly 30 years, despite four UN resolutions affirming that these territories belong to Azerbaijan. The legend of a thousand-year Armenian presence was created post-factum to justify the 1993 invasion and mobilize Armenians in the diaspora during the second Karabakh war. The Caucasus, a crossroads of nomadic cultures, is one of the most cosmopolitan and multicultural places in the world. In the 18th century, Armenians migrated en masse to the South Caucasus, attracted by the promises of Tsar Peter the Great, who wanted a Christian population to settle in there to balance the majority Muslim population. Great travelers like Vereshchagin and the Frenchman Alexandre Dumas also widely described this event," the article reads.
Brun also emphasizes that Azerbaijanis have never threatened or damaged the remaining Christian churches and monuments in Karabakh. "This claim is simply outrageous. No element of Armenian heritage has ever been destroyed by Azerbaijanis. On the contrary, Azerbaijan takes pride in preserving and restoring religious heritage. The Armenian church in Baku and its library have been carefully protected all these years and still are today. This is in stark contrast to the Armenian occupiers' treatment of Azerbaijani heritage, which the France 2 report fails to mention," he writes.
The author also reminded readers that in the early 20th century, over 300 mosques in Armenia were intentionally destroyed, appropriated, or repurposed. "More than 500 Azerbaijani cemeteries were also destroyed in Armenia, and the grave of the great Azerbaijani poet Ashig Alasgar was desecrated. In Karabakh, Armenian militants carried out a true raid during the 30-year occupation. Of the 67 Muslim mosques and religious sanctuaries, 64 were destroyed or significantly damaged and desecrated. Mosques in the Aghdam, Gubadli, and Zangilan regions were partially or completely demolished, while others were covered in Armenian graffiti or used as livestock facilities. Over 900 cemeteries were destroyed and desecrated in these territories".
"However, Muslim heritage was not the only target of Karabakh's Armenian separatists: churches, cemeteries, and Christian mausoleums were either turned into Armenian cult structures or vandalized and destroyed," the author notes.
In conclusion, the author again addresses French media with a question: Why is it impossible to broadcast the truth on French channels or in French newspapers today? "It's time to stop taking myths for reality. Why do Armenian versions of history appear at the top of Google searches to the detriment of Azerbaijani historians? Unfortunately, the wealthy Armenian diaspora in France, funded by billionaires, is still very influential. 'The bigger the lie, the more likely it is to be believed,' said Goebbels. Some have learned this lesson well..." writes Jean-Michel Brun.