The relationship between the European Union and Azerbaijan is increasingly controversial and a subject of discussion, especially with regard to trade that places Baku as one of the main suppliers of gas to the countries of the Old Continent, after the closure of the channels with Russia following the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. A choice to damage the Russian economy, an objective that has so far failed, but also an ethical one against a country that does not respect human rights. And if human rights are discussed, therefore, when Brussels buys Azeri gas, it cannot and must not ignore the ethnic cleansing that has been underway for years in Nagorno-Karabakh, the region on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
What has sparked discussion is what emerged from a report published in June by the European Centre for Law and Justice. The report, drawn up by the international non-governmental organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of human rights in Europe and around the world, shines a spotlight on what is happening in Nagorno-Karabakh, the region located in what is now south-western Azerbaijan where a “ferocious destruction of the Armenian Christian heritage” is underway. All this without the international community saying or doing anything. Many churches, from that of St. Sargis of Hadrut in Mokhrenes to that of Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Chouchi, have in fact been destroyed or even razed to the ground, as has the cemetery of Ghazanchetsots. And where there has been no destruction, the Azerbaijani government is quickly transforming Christian sites into mosques, such as the Church of the Ascension (St. Hambardzum) in Berdzor. The Church of the Holy Mother of God Meghretsots, founded in 1838, was first damaged during the Soviet era and now the Azeris seem to have finished the work of destruction. Not only that. The cross of the Vankasar church, which dates back to the seventh century, has been removed. While the church of Surb Sargis, built in 1279, has been vandalized several times.
Very serious episodes and on which Europe seems to look the other way to safeguard its own economic interests by supporting a country like Azerbaijan, despite the government led by Ilham Aliyev continue to perpetrate violence and attacks against Christian symbols of the Armenian community. In this case, what happens to the human rights that need to be defended? The European Union is proving to be more hypocritical than ever in its management of gas imports. On the one hand, it has cut off all trade relations with Russia on the other, Vladimir Putinon the other hand, it makes agreements with Baku which, in addition to violating human rights in Nagorno-Karabakh (where a “cultural genocide” is taking place), takes part of its gas from Moscow, thus passing it on to the Europeans.
According to the report published by the European Centre for Law and Justice, in addition to the destruction of priceless cultural heritage, real bloodshed is taking place.
