Azerbaijan’s Alban-Udi Christian Community has strongly condemned Armenia’s revanchist reaction to a visit by diplomats accredited in Azerbaijan to the liberated territories.
In a statement issued by Community Chairman Robert Mobili, the religious community strongly condemned the revanchist attitudes expressed in Armenian society and political circles toward the visit of members of the diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan to Garabagh and East Zangezur, particularly to the Ganjasar and Khudavang monasteries, which are part of Albania’s historical and cultural heritage.
Speaking to AZERTAC in Gabala’s Nij settlement, Robert Mobili said the falsification of the Albanian Church intensified during the occupation, although its roots date back to the era of Tsar Nicholas. He stressed that after Armenia occupied Garabagh, major religious sites, including the Ganjasar and Khudavang Monastery Complexes and Aghoghlan Temple, underwent architectural alterations and the addition of cross symbols, which he described as deliberate falsification.
“Armenia attempted to present Albanian churches to the world as Armenian churches. The condition of Azerbaijan’s mosques during the occupation was also evident. Following the liberation of the territories, the Azerbaijani state began restoring the Albanian churches and mosques,” he added.
Describing Azerbaijan as the successor to Caucasian Albania, Robert Mobili underscored that Caucasian Albania was a powerful state with an independent church. Noting that the Alban-Udi Christian Community in Azerbaijan is the direct religious successor to this church, he emphasized: “We are working to convey this truth to the world. The truth is that the Albanian Church has no connection with the Georgian, Russian or Armenian churches.”
“Why did Armenian religious figures and NGOs make such a fuss about diplomats’ visits to our liberated territories? Because they seek to claim Azerbaijan’s historical and cultural heritage,” the Community chairman highlighted.
Robert Mobili noted that Azerbaijan has restored Albanian and other churches, including the Albanian Church of the Saint Virgin Mary located in Nij settlement, the Church of St. Elysee and the Russian Orthodox Church, describing these efforts as an example of the country’s religious tolerance.
