Azerbaijan’s religious leaders appeal to UK Prime Minister
Baku, March 25, AZERTAC
Religious leaders of Azerbaijan have made an appeal to Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
AZERTAC presents the appeal:
- Dear Prime Minister,
As religious leaders of Azerbaijan, where people of different faiths have historically lived together in peace and harmony, we are writing to express our deepest concern regarding the recent misleading letter addressed to you from Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, Diocese of the Armenian Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland joined by a few other religious leaders in the UK. Framing the political developments in our region through a religious lens, the letter involves deceptive information and is clearly part of the efforts to jeopardise the current peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The sole reason of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan was Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region for over 30 years. Now that Azerbaijan liberated its territories and restored its sovereignty and territorial integrity over its entire internationally recognized borders the conflict is over now.
Those Armenian individuals who currently stand trial in Azerbaijan are not “detainees” or “prisoners of war”. Numerous credible and concrete evidences exist that they have committed grave war crimes against Azerbaijanis as part of Armenia’s military aggression against Azerbaijan from 1991 to 2023 as well as during the last years of USSR. The 2019 “Report on War Crimes in the Occupied Territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia’s Responsibility” (A/74/676 – S/2020/90), which was published as an official document of the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council contains detailed information on war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Armenians during occupation: https://t.co/bSVDxuJYSZ
Despite unfounded allegations by some, the right of these individuals to have an attorney is ensured, they have never complained of any ill-treatment and the judicial proceedings are conducted in a transparent manner.
Very recently, on 13th of March, the Opinion (A/HRC/WGAD/2024/46) of the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention rejected the claims of alleged denial of fair trial in the case of Ruben Vardanyan while the judicial procedures were found to be in line with international standards.
This Court trial is part of Azerbaijan’s post-conflict efforts to ensure the rights of innocent victims of aggression, deliver justice, and hold those accused of military aggression, crimes against humanity and war crimes accountable. Therefore, the calls for release of these Armenian individuals are a sign of disrespect to thousands of Azerbaijanis who have been the victims of the war crimes as well as interference in judicial system of Azerbaijan. These calls are also an insult to and violation of international norms as well as the basic principles of humanity. Impunity cannot be tolerated.
Dear Prime Minister,
Azerbaijan is a unique place in the world where religious and cultural diversity is viewed as a spiritual asset. Multiculturalism is a state policy in Azerbaijan and we take pride in the fact that, at a time when ethnic, religious, and racial discrimination are increasing in the world, Azerbaijan serves as a model of how Muslims, Christians, Jews, and people of other faiths coexist in harmony and prosperity.
We all know that the same holds true for the UK where the commitment to inclusivity, integration, and mutual respect has allowed people of all backgrounds to flourish and live in harmony in the UK. A thriving Azerbaijani community living in the UK is a prime example to the welcoming and accommodating nature of British society.
The former conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has nothing to do with religion. Unfortunately, some Armenian religious figures have been using divisive religious rhetoric in the context of former conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan to undermine the peace process.
While it is not surprising that this domestic disagreement within Armenian society is now spilling over into other countries it is concerning that Archbishop of London and some other religious leaders in the UK are dragged into the political conversation in our region based on the false narrative.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been engaged in intensive peace negotiations since 2020. While notable progress has been achieved, a few issues remain pending.
We are grateful to the UK for its balanced position with regard to the former conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and for its support to the current peace process in our region.
We are confident that the UK government will continue to support the efforts of Azerbaijan towards the lasting peace in the region as well as to ensure justice for its citizens.
We express our best wishes to you in your highly demanding work and pray for the continued prosperity and well-being to the people of the United Kingdom.
Sincerely,
Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazadeh
Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims` Board
Aleksiy
Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church in Baku and Azerbaijan
Milikh Yevdayev
Head of the Mountain Jewish Community in Azerbaijan
Aleksandr Sharovski
Head of the European Jewish Community in Baku
Robert Mobili
Chairman of the Alban-Udi Christian Religious Community
Zamir Isayev
Head of the Sephardic Jewish Religious Community in Baku.
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