Azerbaijani authorities start misappropriation of We Are Our Mountains monument
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ArmInfo.The Azerbaijani authorities have begun the process of appropriating the monument "We are our mountains" (Grandfather and Grandmother) in occupied Artsakh.
According to Monument Watch, which monitors the cultural heritage of Artsakh, several days ago the Azerbaijani website Culture of Azerbaijan distributed a statement about the monument "We are our mountains", which states that it was built in the "Azerbaijani city of Khankendi" (Stepanakert) in 1967 and is "one of the many examples of multicultural and national-religious tolerance of Azerbaijan."
"It is well known that the mentioned monument is one of the modern symbols of Armenian Artsakh and was created as a sign and symbol of the Armenian identity of this corner. The elderly married couple with a traditional image and appearance became evidence of the historical past and future hopes of the Artsakh Armenians. Hopes that are today shattered as a result of the anti-Armenian policy of Azerbaijan. The sculptor of the monument, which was created from red tuff specially brought from Armenia, is Sarkis Baghdasaryan, and the architect is Yuri Hakobyan.
The sculptor described his work as follows: "The monument represents an elderly Artsakh spouses in traditional costumes, shoulder to shoulder, with a proud and unyielding look and a serious gaze. The monument has no pedestal, and it seems as if they came out of the ground and stood, firmly resting their feet on the Armenian soil on this hill," the Organization recalled.
It is further noted that after the complete occupation of Artsakh, the official Azerbaijani side practically did not touch this monument for a long time, which is the most striking and famous symbol of the Artsakh Armenians, and the Azerbaijani media representatives who visited occupied Stepanakert did not touch it and "did not notice" it either. Only some media outlets expressed the opinion that it should be demolished.
"At the end of 2023, rare publications began to appear in which it was mentioned that the Armenians had "armenianized" the monument. The Azerbaijani side tried to spread the thesis that they were not against the monument, but against its "ideological nationalist interpretation."
From the Azerbaijani publications, one can conclude that in the Soviet years, any manifestation of the history, culture and roots of Armenians in the NKAO was considered "nationalist," the project added. It is noted that the theses are used to assign the monument that it was built in the Soviet years with money from Baku, is Azerbaijani, and is also an indicator of the tolerance of the Azerbaijani authorities towards Armenians during the USSR.
"We consider it necessary to note that the idea of the monument was brought to life in those years with the direct participation of the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Regional Council of Nagorno- Karabakh Mushegh Oganjanyan. The leadership of Soviet Azerbaijan was against the construction of the monument and its installation.
Moreover, a complaint was filed and they demanded that it be dismantled. A special commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan arrived in Stepanakert to find out what "we" and what "mountains" were referred to in the monument "We are our mountains". Thanks to the efforts of the Armenian side, it was possible to save the monument from dismantling," Monument Watch recalled.
"Azerbaijan's policy towards the monument is an attempt to appropriate heritage, when not only is there a separation from Armenian identity, but also an image of a multicultural and tolerant country is being created for Azerbaijan. With such a policy, Azerbaijan violates the UN Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions adopted in Paris in 2005. The convention mentions the importance of cultural diversity as a driving force for the sustainable development of societies, peoples and nations. According to Article 2 of the UN Convention, the protection of cultural diversity is possible only when human rights and fundamental freedoms are guaranteed," Monumentwatch.org summarizes.
According to Monument Watch, which monitors the cultural heritage of Artsakh, several days ago the Azerbaijani website Culture of Azerbaijan distributed a statement about the monument "We are our mountains", which states that it was built in the "Azerbaijani city of Khankendi" (Stepanakert) in 1967 and is "one of the many examples of multicultural and national-religious tolerance of Azerbaijan."
"It is well known that the mentioned monument is one of the modern symbols of Armenian Artsakh and was created as a sign and symbol of the Armenian identity of this corner. The elderly married couple with a traditional image and appearance became evidence of the historical past and future hopes of the Artsakh Armenians. Hopes that are today shattered as a result of the anti-Armenian policy of Azerbaijan. The sculptor of the monument, which was created from red tuff specially brought from Armenia, is Sarkis Baghdasaryan, and the architect is Yuri Hakobyan.
The sculptor described his work as follows: "The monument represents an elderly Artsakh spouses in traditional costumes, shoulder to shoulder, with a proud and unyielding look and a serious gaze. The monument has no pedestal, and it seems as if they came out of the ground and stood, firmly resting their feet on the Armenian soil on this hill," the Organization recalled.
It is further noted that after the complete occupation of Artsakh, the official Azerbaijani side practically did not touch this monument for a long time, which is the most striking and famous symbol of the Artsakh Armenians, and the Azerbaijani media representatives who visited occupied Stepanakert did not touch it and "did not notice" it either. Only some media outlets expressed the opinion that it should be demolished.
"At the end of 2023, rare publications began to appear in which it was mentioned that the Armenians had "armenianized" the monument. The Azerbaijani side tried to spread the thesis that they were not against the monument, but against its "ideological nationalist interpretation."
From the Azerbaijani publications, one can conclude that in the Soviet years, any manifestation of the history, culture and roots of Armenians in the NKAO was considered "nationalist," the project added. It is noted that the theses are used to assign the monument that it was built in the Soviet years with money from Baku, is Azerbaijani, and is also an indicator of the tolerance of the Azerbaijani authorities towards Armenians during the USSR.
"We consider it necessary to note that the idea of the monument was brought to life in those years with the direct participation of the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Regional Council of Nagorno- Karabakh Mushegh Oganjanyan. The leadership of Soviet Azerbaijan was against the construction of the monument and its installation.
Moreover, a complaint was filed and they demanded that it be dismantled. A special commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan arrived in Stepanakert to find out what "we" and what "mountains" were referred to in the monument "We are our mountains". Thanks to the efforts of the Armenian side, it was possible to save the monument from dismantling," Monument Watch recalled.
"Azerbaijan's policy towards the monument is an attempt to appropriate heritage, when not only is there a separation from Armenian identity, but also an image of a multicultural and tolerant country is being created for Azerbaijan. With such a policy, Azerbaijan violates the UN Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions adopted in Paris in 2005. The convention mentions the importance of cultural diversity as a driving force for the sustainable development of societies, peoples and nations. According to Article 2 of the UN Convention, the protection of cultural diversity is possible only when human rights and fundamental freedoms are guaranteed," Monumentwatch.org summarizes.