Recently, Azerbaijan has initiated a focused campaign against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. The campaign aims to "legitimize" its territorial ambitions and appropriate Armenian cultural heritage. This has involved organizing various cultural events targeting intangible heritage. One such event was the ethnographic festival convention titled "Return to Western Azerbaijan," held in Nakhichevan from June 21 to 22, 2024. The festival was organized by the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan, the Ministry of Science and Education of Azerbaijan, the State University of the Autonomous Republic of Nakhichevan, and the community organization "Western Azerbaijan." According to the organizers, the primary goal of the event was to support President Ilham Aliyev's policy of restoring the "historical rights" of Azerbaijanis who left their homeland. The festival featured a map of the Republic of Armenia with invented names for cities and villages, alongside various photographs and decorative art objects. Numerous Armenian and regional cultural elements were presented as exclusively Azerbaijani, including folklore dedicated to "Western Azerbaijan," a concert program, films, and literary samples. Additionally, dishes from Armenian cuisine were presented under the label "Irevan cuisine," referring not to Armenia but to Azerbaijan (Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4).
The first day of the festival convention took place on the Batabat Plateau. Tents representing the 11 regions of the Republic of Armenia were set up there (on Azerbaijani websites, these regions are presented as provinces of "Western Azerbaijan"). Each pavilion showcased its interpretation of Armenian culture, including folklore, ethnographic culture, national cuisine, and crafts. The two-day event also served as a platform for socio-cultural discussions on the topic of returning to Armenia (referred to by them as "Western Azerbaijan"). Institutions such as the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Baku State University, Azerbaijan National Conservatory, and Baku Engineering University were involved in the "scientific" discussions. The goal was to garner support from the scientific and educational community for the process of returning to the "ancient homeland"—Western Azerbaijan. It is worth noting that a similar festival was held in November 2023 with the same title and objective of appropriating Armenian heritage.
Our response
Parallel to its policy of de-Armenianization, genocide of Armenians in their historical homeland, and forced deportation, Azerbaijan continues its territorial, historical, and cultural ambitions against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, as well as the historical homeland and cultural heritage of the Armenian people. For a more detailed exploration of the term "Western Azerbaijan" and its speculations, please refer to other articles on our website: https://monumentwatch.org/en/alerts/a-new-endeavor-to-appropriate-armenian-historical-and-cultural-heritage-has-emerged-the-inauguration-of-west-azerbaijan-state-television-in-baku/, https://monumentwatch.org/en/alerts/the-organization-known-as-the-community-of-western-azerbaijan-has-appealed-to-unesco-urging-to-safeguard-the-cultural-heritage-of-western-azerbaijan/, https://monumentwatch.org/en/alerts/azerbaijan-declares-yerevan-sevan-and-syunik-azerbaijani-heritage/.
