A new endeavor to appropriate Armenian historical and cultural heritage has emerged: the inauguration of “West Azerbaijan” state television in Baku
According to Oxu.Az, the inauguration of the "West Azerbaijan Television" building in Azerbaijan occurred on May 1 (Fig. 1).
It's worth noting that in Azerbaijan, the term "Western Azerbaijan" encompasses the entirety of present-day Armenia. This notion was underscored during the building's unveiling ceremony by Aziz Alekberli, chairman of the "Western Azerbaijan Community" department and deputy. Alekberli emphasized that the TV channel aims to illuminate the truth surrounding the displacement of Azerbaijanis from their native lands and the erosion of Azerbaijani heritage in Western Azerbaijan over the past two centuries. The channel is committed to actively supporting endeavors that seek the peaceful and secure repatriation of Azerbaijanis to their "native lands". This state-commissioned television station will broadcast in three languages: Azerbaijani, Russian, and English.
The TV channel is scheduled to broadcast six times a week, with two-hour slots divided evenly between Azerbaijani and Russian, totaling three broadcasts in each language. Additionally, a half-hour program in English will be aired during the week. Furthermore, preceding the official launch of the television station, numerous new platforms emerged within the Azerbaijani media landscape under the banner of "Western Azerbaijan", all echoing similar propaganda narratives https://oxu.az/society/759665. The television network also maintains a YouTube channel, which has been and continues to be a platform for various videos depicting the territory of Armenia as Azerbaijani, disseminating messages of racial discrimination, and portraying Armenian culture as Albanian and Turkic https://www.youtube.com/@QerbiAzerbaycanTV/videos.
Our response
In tandem with its de-Armenianization policy, Azerbaijan persists in territorial, historical, and cultural ambitions directed against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, the historical homeland, and the cultural heritage of the Armenian people. These actions represent a series of unacceptable endeavors, with the ultimate aim being the eradication of the Armenian presence. For further insight into the newly coined term "Western Azerbaijan," please refer to the article by Ruben Galichyan https://monumentwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Text-and-Maps-in-Armenian.pdf.
You can also find information about the Azerbaijani fabrication of "Western Azerbaijan" in the following articles on the Artsakh Cultural Heritage Monitoring website: 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/new-attempts-to-seize-historical-cultural-heritage-unveiled/ , https://monumentwatch.org/en/alerts/azerbaijan-declares-yerevan-sevan-and-syunik-azerbaijani-heritage/ , https://monumentwatch.org/en/alerts/another-manifestation-of-the-aggressive-policy-of-the-republic-of-azerbaijan/.
