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Azerbaijani President: "Armenians living in the Karabakh region, I am sure, already understand that they can live normally only within the Azerbaijani state"

05 January 2021 16:25 (UTC +04:00)

"Our religious sites are and will continue to be protected. All our major religious sites have been renovated on my orders. Many were built, including the Heydar Mosque, which was built on my instruction. Our other mosques have been renovated. They were renovated with the aim of preserving their original appearance," said President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as he received in a video format Anar Karimov on his appointment as Minister of Culture, APA reports.

"In this area, too, Azerbaijan shows its rich cultural heritage to the world. The Juma Mosque of Shamakhi, one of the oldest mosques in the world, is located in our country. It was built in 743 and was actually rebuilt on my instruction. Our Christian sites, Albanian churches, the Kish church, the Khudavang church. The liberated church of Khudavang has been returned to its true owners, to our Udi brothers. Even though the Armenians changed its name and appearance as a result of a fraud, tried to Armenianize it, they failed to do so. Our Udi brothers have already performed their service in the Khudavang church. All other churches belonging to Caucasian Albania, including the church in Nij settlement. This church, renovated by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, was opened during the war, and this is the best answer to those making baseless accusations against us. During the war, the Albanian-Christian church was opened after renovations. Russian Orthodox churches, synagogues, Catholic churches, Georgian churches, the Armenian church in Baku – all this is protected by the state. But notice what our enemies have done to our mosques. More than 60 mosques have been destroyed in the occupied and now liberated lands, but there is no reaction. No international organization has ever condemned Armenia for that. We are protecting the Armenian church. We have no problems with the Armenian people and the Armenians living in Azerbaijan are our citizens. Today, Armenians living in the Karabakh region, I am sure, already understand that they can live normally only within the Azerbaijani state," noted the President.