On December 4, 2025, a seminar entitled “Western Azerbaijan in Cuneiform Sources” was held at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The seminar was organized by the “Western Azerbaijan Studies Center” (https://azertag.az/xeber/qerbi_azerbaycan_mixiyazili_menbelerde___seminar-3897431). We express our deep gratitude to Tatev Hayrapetyan, an expert on Azerbaijan, for bringing this topic to our attention.

In the speeches delivered at the official opening of the event, officials stated that systematic “scholarly research” on “Western Azerbaijan” is being carried out based on Ilham Aliyev’s conceptual approaches to “Western Azerbaijan,” as well as the president’s initiatives and instructions. According to the speakers, research on “Western Azerbaijan” pursues the following aims:

* the study and presentation of archival and cartographic materials,

* presenting the “heritage of Western Azerbaijan” to the world on “scientific” grounds,

* the “restoration of national memory,”

* the “restoration of historical justice,”

* Presenting “historical truth” to the world.

The “non-ordinary” character of the seminar can be inferred from the official positions of the speakers and the participating state and academic institutions. These include the Academy of Public Administration of Azerbaijan, the Institute of History of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, the “Western Azerbaijan Studies Center,” members of the Azerbaijani parliament, the Baku Political Scientists’ Club, and others.

According to the speakers, the “cuneiform sources of Western Azerbaijan” play an important role because they allegedly “confirm, since ancient times, the historical place of Azerbaijani territories in regional processes. The analysis of cuneiform sources not only proves that the history of Western Azerbaijan has deep roots, but also provides irrefutable scientific evidence of the ancient ethno-cultural presence of Azerbaijanis in the region.” This false, anti-scholarly claim was voiced by Ramin Alizade, a researcher at the Institute of History of Azerbaijan, who is known for highly questionable “academic” activity whose sole purpose is the falsification of Armenia’s history. He disseminates these theses not only through books and articles, but also through propaganda-oriented programs, videos, and interviews. His official biography states that his scholarly activity is connected with the history of the Ancient Near East, Urartu, and the earliest periods of the South Caucasus (https://iremb.anas.az/users_profile/1807/7/).

Among the participants, Hikmet Babaoğlu stands out for his explicitly anti-Armenian speeches. He is a member of the Political Science and History Commission of the Higher Attestation Commission under the President of Azerbaijan, and a deputy of the Azerbaijani parliament (https://www.meclis.gov.az/news-dep.php?id=791&lang=ru). Babaoğlu is among the ruling-party deputies who actively promote the theme of a “return to Western Azerbaijan.” In his speech, Babaoğlu stated that references to the territories of “Western Azerbaijan” in the oldest historical sources are “irrefutable evidence of the deep historical roots of the Azerbaijani people in those lands.”

Zaur Mammadov, head of the Baku Political Scientists’ Club, emphasized that in recent years, broad opportunities have been created in Azerbaijan to research topics related to “Western Azerbaijan” and to mobilize the country’s academic potential for this purpose fully. It was also emphasized that the “Western Azerbaijan” issue is aimed at restoring justice and peace in the region.

Thus, we may conclude that the Azerbaijani side is taking active steps toward the appropriation of the ancient archaeological and historical heritage of the territory of the Republic of Armenia, its interpretation within the framework of its own propagandistic theses, and its re-presentation in a newly constructed form.

First and foremost, cuneiform inscriptions documented in the territory of Armenia and the information they contain have been targeted. An attempt is being made to appropriate and interpret—within the framework of Azerbaijani propaganda—foreign-language written sources on Armenia and its territory: Akkadian, Hittite, Assyrian, Persian, and others. From the speeches, it becomes clear that the Azerbaijani side is also creating working grounds for the appropriation of Urartian culture by advancing initiatives for a “new” interpretation of Urartian cuneiform inscriptions. These steps are dubious, since Akkadian, Hittite, Assyrian, Persian, and other cuneiform inscriptions relating to Armenia and its territory have been published and interpreted repeatedly by the international scholarly community. The same can be said of Urartu's written heritage. The Azerbaijani side is attempting to construct a new academic framework to introduce a “new” interpretation of Armenia’s ancient history. From another perspective, the Azerbaijani side will, by all means, attempt to portray Armenian academic research as nationalist and non-objective. This is apparent even from a cursory examination of the publications of the above-mentioned seminar participants.

The Azerbaijani side attempts to link the toponyms and anthroponyms attested in ancient written sources with the name and origin of Azerbaijanis, and to associate the ancient state formations mentioned in those sources with the Azerbaijani state.

It is important to note that, to implement these anti-scholarly measures, the Azerbaijani academic community has been mobilized to carry out Ilham Aliyev’s directive. The speakers repeatedly emphasized this. No less important is the list of goals being pursued.

Once again, it should be emphasized that before 2020–2021, conferences and seminars on “Western Azerbaijan” were rarely organized, whereas at present they have become regular. The drive to give this anti-scholarly and overtly expansionist theme an international character is evident.