Caucasus Muslims’ Board Condemns Echmiadzin Church Statement as Hostile and Misleading

In a recent escalation of tensions, the Caucasus Muslims’ Board has strongly condemned a statement by the Church of Echmiadzin regarding the demolition of two structures in Khankendi, Azerbaijan, characterizing it as “hostility and disinformation.”

The controversy centers around two buildings demolished in Khankendi (also known internationally as Stepanakert), a city that was at the heart of the decades-long Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Church of Echmiadzin, Armenia’s main religious authority, issued a statement on April 23 claiming these demolitions represented an attack on religious and cultural heritage.

In its forceful rebuttal, the Caucasus Muslims’ Board emphasized that the timing of Echmiadzin’s accusations was particularly problematic, coming during a sensitive period when Azerbaijan and Armenia have been engaged in a normalization process aimed at establishing lasting peace after the 2020 war and Azerbaijan’s subsequent restoration of control over the contested territories in 2023.

“At a sensitive time when the normalization process between the two countries is underway, baseless accusations against Azerbaijan by Echmiadzin, which has remained silent about the destruction and insult of historical, religious and cultural monuments of Azerbaijan for decades during the occupation, is a failed attempt to politicize the issue,” the Board stated.

The statement further clarified the legal status of the demolished structures, asserting they were built illegally during the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories. According to the Caucasus Muslims’ Board, these buildings were kept intact by Azerbaijan after it regained control of the region in 2023, but were ultimately removed following repeated appeals from returning internally displaced Azerbaijanis.

The Board cited international humanitarian law principles, noting that “structures built by an occupying power in an occupied territory without consent are considered illegal, regardless of their purpose, and, as a rule, must be demolished at the expense of the occupying power.”

This incident highlights the ongoing challenges of post-conflict reconciliation in the South Caucasus region. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which began in the late 1980s and intensified after the collapse of the Soviet Union, resulted in hundreds of thousands of displaced people on both sides and significant damage to cultural and religious sites throughout the contested territories.

Azerbaijan has consistently presented itself as a model of religious tolerance in the region. The Caucasus Muslims’ Board emphasized this point, stating that Azerbaijan is “one of the rare countries where mosques, churches and synagogues are located side by side, which demonstrates the deep-rooted culture of religious tolerance and respect for all religions by our people.”

As evidence of this commitment, the statement highlighted Azerbaijan’s restoration of the Armenian Gazanchi Church in Shusha and the continued protection of the Armenian Church in Baku throughout the conflict period. These efforts, according to the Board, reflect Azerbaijan’s broader commitment to preserving religious plurality across the country.

Regional analysts note that religious sites have frequently become flashpoints in the territorial dispute, with both sides accusing each other of destroying or desecrating culturally significant buildings and monuments. UNESCO and other international organizations have repeatedly called for the protection of cultural heritage in the region, regardless of ethnic or religious affiliation.

The Caucasus Muslims’ Board concluded its statement with a call to end “political provocations left over from the past,” emphasizing that such actions undermine the prospects for lasting peace in a region that has suffered from decades of conflict and displacement.