Azerbaijan conducts diplomatic tour of occupied Artsakh
Attempts at cultural erasure in Artsakh, “uprooting” opposition at home
Azerbaijan organized a large-scale diplomatic tour of occupied Artsakh on September 11-12, bringing approximately 150 representatives from 58 countries and nine international organizations to territories depopulated of Armenians following Azerbaijan's 2023 military operation. The delegation, led by Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev, visited Stepanakert, Shushi, Martakert and Karvachar, including medieval Armenian monasteries Gandzasar and Dadivank.
Armenian religious institutions and cultural specialists have raised concerns about what they characterize as de-Armenianization efforts—the reinterpretation of Armenian historical sites and removal of Armenian cultural markers. At the monasteries, Hajiyev presented the sites as evidence of Caucasian Albanian Christian heritage rather than Armenian ecclesiastical history. Armenian opposition figures argue this narrative could extend to monasteries within internationally recognized Armenian territory.
