Simon Maghakyan: war against history is no path to peaceMay 16, 2011 - 14:45 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Five years ago in December 2005, the magnificent medieval cemetery of Djulfa was reduced to dust in southwestern Azerbaijan, Simon Maghakyan writes in “War Against History is No Path to Peace” article published by Foreign Policy Journal. The article goes on saying “According to video evidence, the Azerbaijani army itself had conducted the operation to destroy the thousands of intricately carved khachkars, or cross-stones, which were the proof and symbol of ancient Armenian heritage in the exclave of Nakhichevan “An absolute lie,” declared Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev, and then banned a European Parliament delegation from visiting the site. But last December, the American Association for the Advancement of Science publicly confirmed Djulfa’s complete disappearance through satellite image comparison. A few months later, the Azeri authorities banned the U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan from visiting the site where the cemetery existed. “Armenians have never lived in Nakhichevan, which has been Azerbaijani land from time immemorial, and that’s why there are no Armenian cemeteries and monuments and have never been any,” is one argument – to quote Azeri official Hasan Zeynalov – of denial of the destruction. Such reasoning is not meant to cover up, but rather project the intent of the crime. Armenians, according to the official historiography in Azerbaijan, did not live in the Caucasus before the 19th century. While fighting history in Nakhichevan by making indigenous artifacts disappear, Azerbaijan vows to win back the Armenian region of Nagorno Karabakh it lost in a post-Soviet war in the 1990s. Such flare fails to realize that Karabakh’s fight for freedom wasn’t a mere tussle to revoke Joseph Stalin’s 1920s awarding of Nagorno Karabakh (along with Nakhichevan) to Soviet Azerbaijan, but a hustle to avoid Djulfa’s very fate. Cultural destruction in post-Soviet conflicts is not unavoidable as seen in Armenia’s ongoing restoration of Azerbaijani mosques in Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan’s own 2004 renovation of the Armenian church, built in 1887, in the capital Baku. Drawing from the latter, Azerbaijan’s government can reverse its war on history by facilitating an impartial investigation into the demolition that occurred at Djulfa; prosecuting those who gave orders and supervised the destruction; and designating the site where the cemetery existed as an archaeological landmark. Baku must acknowledge that a war against history is no path to peace.” Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Greece says ready to help as Armenia fights flooding consequences Greece is ready to assist Armenia in combatting the consequences of deadly floods in the country’s north. “He will leave”: Protest leader no longer demands meeting with Pashinyan Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan no longer demands a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Lemkin Institute petition seeks release of Armenians in Azerbaijan The Lemkin Institute is deeply concerned about the continued illegal detention of political prisoners from Karabakh in Azerbaijan. Armenian Catholicos calls for national unity against threats Karekin II issued a message on Republic Day marking the anniversary of the First Armenian Republic. |