BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 25. Heads of religious confessions in Azerbaijan have sent an appeal to the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trend reports.
The letter expresses deep concern regarding a letter addressed to the prime minister by the head of the Armenian Church diocese in the UK and Ireland, Bishop Ovakim Manukyan, and several other religious figures in the UK.
"This letter, which views political events in our region through the lens of religion, contains distorted information and is, in essence, part of efforts aimed at undermining the existing peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The only reason for the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia for more than 30 years was the occupation of the Karabakh region of our country by Armenia. Now that Azerbaijan has liberated its territories and restored sovereignty and territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders, the conflict is over.
The Armenian citizens currently standing trial in Azerbaijan are not 'prisoners' or 'prisoners of war'. There is ample credible and specific evidence that, between 1991–2023 and in the final years of the USSR, during Armenia’s military aggression against Azerbaijan, they committed serious war crimes against Azerbaijanis. The 2019 report on war crimes in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia’s responsibility, published as an official document of the UN General Assembly and Security Council (A/74/676 – S/2020/90), contains detailed information about the crimes against humanity committed by Armenians during the occupation of Azerbaijani territories: https://t.co/bSVDxuJYSZ".
Despite unsubstantiated allegations, the individuals in question have been granted the right to a defense, they have never complained of any ill-treatment, and the trials have been transparent. Recently, on March 13, the opinion of the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (a/HRC/VGAD/2024/46) rejected claims of denial of fair trial in the case of Ruben Vardanyan and found the trial procedures to be in line with international standards.
This trial is part of Azerbaijan's post-war efforts to ensure the rights of innocent victims of aggression, bring justice, and bring to justice those accused of military aggression, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Therefore, calls for the release of these Armenian citizens are disrespectful to the thousands of Azerbaijanis who are victims of war crimes, as well as an interference in the judicial system of Azerbaijan. These calls are also an insult and a violation of international norms and basic principles of humanity. Impunity is unacceptable.
Dear Prime Minister, Azerbaijan is a unique space in the world where religious and cultural diversity is considered a spiritual wealth. Multiculturalism is a state policy in Azerbaijan and we are proud that while ethnic, religious, and racial discrimination is on the rise in the world, Azerbaijan serves as an example of Muslims, Christians, Jews, and other faiths living together in harmony and prosperity. We all know that the same is true of the UK. Here, a commitment to inclusion, integration, and mutual respect allows people from all walks of life to develop and live in harmony. The Azerbaijani community living and developing in the UK is a prime example of this.
The conflict that used to exist between Armenia and Azerbaijan has nothing to do with religion. Unfortunately, some Armenian religious figures have resorted to provocative religious rhetoric in the context of the previous conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan to undermine the peace process. While it is not surprising that these internal divisions within Armenian society are now spreading to other countries, it is worrying that the Archbishop of London and some other religious leaders in the UK have been drawn into political discussions about our region based on false claims.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been engaged in intensive peace talks since 2020. Despite notable progress, some outstanding issues remain. We are grateful to the UK for its balanced position on the former conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as its support for the ongoing peace process in our region. We are confident that the UK Government will continue to support Azerbaijan's efforts to bring lasting peace to the region and justice to its citizens.
Please accept our best wishes in your highly responsible endeavors and our prayers for the continued prosperity and well-being of the people of the UK.
Sincerely,
Chairman of the Caucasus Muslim Board Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade
Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, Bishop of Baku and Azerbaijan Diocese Aleksiy Smirnov
Head of the community of Mountain Jews in Azerbaijan Milikh Yevdayev
Head of the community of European Jews in Azerbaijan Alexander Sharovski
Chairman of the Albanian-Udin Christian religious community Robert Mobilea
Head of Sephardic Jewish religious community in Baku Zamir Isayev,” the address reads.
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