Details added, first version published at 13:48
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.