The Diocesan Council Condemns the Anti-Armenian Conference Held at the Vatican
An international conference titled “Christianity in Azerbaijan: History and Modernity” was recently held at the Pontifical Gregorian University of the Holy See in the Vatican. The event has sparked significant concern among Armenologists, historians, and the wider informed public. During the conference, numerous Armenian historical and cultural monuments, including churches and monasteries such as Amaras, Gandzasar, and Dadivank, were falsely presented as Caucasian Albanian heritage.
Yerkir.am spoke with Lernik Hovhannisyan, historian and Chair of the Diocesan Council of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He expressed particular concern regarding the title of the conference, questioning the relevance of the modern Azerbaijani state to the history of Christianity in the medieval period.
“These are the same false theses that began circulating in the 1960s with the so-called ‘Caucasian Albanian theory’ of Azerbaijani ethnogenesis, which falsely identified various Caucasian Albanian ethnic groups as the ancestors of Azerbaijanis. This narrative was then extended to the cultural heritage on the right bank of the Kur River. Consequently, the historical Armenian provinces of Artsakh, Utik, Syunik, and the Nakhichevan region of Vaspurakan were labeled as Albanian, thereby attributing their entire cultural legacy to this fabricated identity. What we see today is a continuation of that same policy, now intensified following the depopulation and complete occupation of Artsakh,” said Hovhannisyan.
He expressed deep regret that such an event took place within the Vatican. According to him, for more than two decades, Azerbaijan has utilized the Udi community as a tool in its anti-Armenian propaganda, even providing them with state-level financial support.
“It is also worth noting that the list of conference participants included no serious scholars specializing in the history, culture, ethnography, or archaeology of the South Caucasus. Foreign speakers mostly addressed general theological or intercultural topics. In other words, only Azerbaijani so-called ‘experts’ and the head of the Udi community, Robert Mobili, along with his son, propagated this false Azerbaijani narrative. This is the reality: Azerbaijan once again seeks to present its claims over the entire cultural heritage of the right bank of the Kur River by manipulating foreign academics,” the Diocesan Chair emphasized.
He also questioned the notion of religious tolerance in Azerbaijan: “What tolerance for Christianity can there be in a place where not only newly built churches in the Republic of Artsakh are being destroyed, but even those dating from the 19th century? Where are our medieval inscriptions carved in stone that are now under threat of complete eradication?” “What notion of interreligious tolerance are we discussing, when such distortions are taking place at the Vatican itself? I believe appropriate institutions should take serious note of this. The conference itself is part of Azerbaijan’s hybrid warfare strategy—an attempt to exploit the international academic community for its anti-Armenian agenda,” Hovhannisyan stated.
“On behalf of the Diocesan Council of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, we strongly condemn this event. We also condemn the participation of foreign specialists who, knowingly or unknowingly, contribute to legitimizing Azerbaijan’s ongoing falsification campaign—one that has persisted for years while the international community remains largely inattentive.”
“We further declare that what is occurring in Artsakh today constitutes cultural genocide. And once again, the world remains silent. The same Christian spiritual and cultural heritage that was created and preserved in Artsakh for centuries is now facing destruction and appropriation. This reality evokes outrage. It is clear that with such deceptive agendas, Azerbaijan aims to divert international attention from the vandalism and cultural genocide it is carrying out in Artsakh,” Hovhannisyan concluded.
Source: www.yerkir.am
