At the UNESCO General Conference, the Azerbaijani diplomat responded to the provocative speech of the Armenian Foreign Minister

“I would like to use our right to respond to the Statement made by the Armenian Foreign Minister today. This speech is another provocative attempt to divert the attention of the international community not only from the previously occupied territories of Azerbaijan, but also from the facts of cultural cleansing in Armenia itself”.

These words were stated by the Second Secretary of our Permanent Delegation to UNESCO Nahid Omarov at the 41^st  session of the UNESCO General Conference, in response to the provocative speech of the Armenian Foreign Minister.

He stressed that our cultural heritage located in the liberated territories, including 65 out of 67 mosques, was purposefully destroyed and razed to the ground by Armenia in order to erase the evidence of the historical existence of Azerbaijanis in these territories. The historical names of Azerbaijani villages and cities have been completely changed, ancient toponyms have been replaced by Armenian names.

"Azerbaijan liberated its territories during the 44-day war. Doing so, it implemented four UN Security Council Resolutions calling for the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from Azerbaijani territory. Today, the conflict is over for Azerbaijan, and my country is making every effort to revive the liberated lands. In order to restore the true and historical image of the region, in the territories liberated by the Azerbaijani government, large-scale reconstruction and restoration work is being carried out with the participation of well-known international experts", – Omarov said.

Noting that there is a constructive dialogue between Azerbaijan and UNESCO on sending an independent technical mission to the conflict-affected areas of Azerbaijan, he said that Armenia's attempt to confuse the international community demonstrates its interest in politicizing the technical mission rather than its implementation.

"Speaking of diversity and tolerance, it should be noted that Armenia is the only mono-ethnic country in the region. The international community fights against all forms of discrimination, including Nazism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and xenophobia, however the Armenian government encourages Nazi military generals and erects monuments to them. Unfortunately, instead of creating peace in the minds of the people, Armenia is abusing the highest throne by poisoning the noble spirit of this esteemed house. This is absolutely unacceptable”, – said the diplomat of the Permanent Delegation.