On 14 January 2026, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree approving the cultural concept “Azerbaijani Culture – 2040” (https://static.president.az/upload/Files/2026/01/15/7af0df88669418094410f7d9451925a7_6316696.pdf). The document is a long-term strategy intended to shape the principal directions of the country’s cultural development over the next two decades. The concept is administered by the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan and envisages a phased and integrated implementation approach in three stages—2026–2030, 2031–2035, and 2036–2040—for each of which both the objectives and the institutional mechanisms for their implementation are defined (https://www.azernews.az/culture/253432.html).

In the concept, Artsakh is presented as a “liberated territory.” In Section 3, under the subsection “Analysis of the Current Situation,” it is stated that new museums and galleries have been established in the country, and that the “Patriotic War” Memorial Complex and the “Victory Museum” have been opened in Baku. At the same time, it is noted that the foundations of the museum complexes of “Occupation” and “Victory” have been laid in the “liberated territories.” It can be stated that the principal purpose of these museums is to present the Armenians—the indigenous population of Artsakh, and Armenians more broadly—as “occupiers” against whom a “victory” was won. Such museums will contribute to the deepening of Armenophobia. Apparently, the establishment of these museums precisely on the territory of Artsakh is intended to symbolize the destruction of Armenian Artsakh and the ethnic cleansing of its Armenian population.

Section 5 of the concept presents the principal objectives of cultural policy. In particular, point 5.1.15 refers to the restoration of cultural institutions, the creation of new cultural infrastructure, the revival of cultural life, and the protection of cultural heritage in the “territories liberated from occupation.” Given the fate of Armenian cultural heritage in the territory of Artsakh after the 44-day war of 2020, this concept will imply the complete erasure, concealment, transformation, and silencing of the Armenian trace. The clearest examples of this are Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi, which is being “restored”; Kanach Zham, razed to the ground under the guise of restoration; the looted and deliberately damaged museums and cultural centers of Shushi and Hadrut; the destroyed, damaged, and vandalized memorials to the Great Patriotic War in numerous villages of Artsakh; and the school grounds and houses of culture used for military purposes. This provision places Artsakh’s medieval Armenian cultural heritage under direct threat, since, in view of the statements made over the last five years, it “must be restored to its original appearance”; in this way, a danger is created for hundreds of Armenian epigraphic inscriptions, khachkars, and cross compositions. It can therefore be stated that, under this provision, restoration will become a direct instrument through which Artsakh’s cultural heritage will be eliminated.

Section 6 sets out the priority areas of cultural policy. Subpoint 6.1.6.2 defines the measures to be undertaken, among which point 6.1.6.2.6 envisages taking steps to improve activities related to the protection of cultural heritage in the “liberated territories,” including archaeological monuments. At the same time, it envisages increasing international public awareness of the damage caused to cultural heritage and taking measures to obtain compensation for such damage. It is obvious that excavations of ancient and medieval archaeological monuments also presuppose discussion of their historical and cultural context and environment, which the Azerbaijani side will approach in accordance with its own propagandistic interests—a line already present in the Soviet period, when obvious historical and cultural facts were distorted.

Section 8 of the concept presents the action plan for implementation for the period 2026–2030. Subsection 8.6 includes the preservation and development of cultural heritage. According to point 8.6.6, it is planned to improve activities related to the protection of cultural heritage in the “liberated territories,” including archaeological monuments, and to raise international public awareness of the damage caused to cultural heritage and take measures to obtain compensation for it.

The administrative steps envisage, during 2026–2030, analyzing the current situation, systematizing data, preparing and implementing a plan of measures, and integrating the results into the “e-culture” system (https://primeinfo.az/2026/01/azad-edilen-erazilerde-medeni-irse-deyen-zererin-evezinin-odenilmesi-meqsedile-tedbirler-gorulecek/).

Thus, it can be seen that the actions previously voiced only through media reports and interviews in the occupied territory of Artsakh before 2026 have now received a clear strategy—albeit one concealed beneath the word “restoration.” A restoration that will all but eliminate the Armenian trace of the region, while the only permissible representation will be that offered in the museums of “occupation and victory.”