"Pro-Azerbaijani ideology gives 'Osservatore Romano' a poisoned meatball" article by di Carlo Coppola

https://www.bariconnessa.it/news/cultura/ideologia-pro-azerbaijan-serve-polpetta-avvelenata-articolista-osservatore-romano/2652

Ադրբեջանամետ գաղափարախոսությունը թունավորված կոլոլակ է տալիս Osservatore Romano-ին.  Կառլո Կոպպոլայի հոդված.

The official Vatican newspaper "L'Osservatore Romano" recently published an article dedicated to an excursus on the "monasteries of Khudavang, Ganjasar and Khatiravang", in which the exceptional Armenian monuments of Dadivank, Gandzasar and Khatravank are falsely presented as heritage of the phantom and never existed "Caucasian Albania", or at least never existed in the terms referred to by the author of the article and whose names have changed in spelling.

The above-mentioned columnist — whose name we do not intend to mention here — describes her visits to Azerbaijan and reveals that she visited the “Garabagh" (sic) identifying with this witty, distorted or at least reductive name the "Nagorno Karabakh" or "Artsakh". It is precisely in that context that the author of the article would have become acquainted with the famous monasteries of what she falsely described as "Albanian heritage".

It is important to emphasize that the article is devoid of any scientific basis and is based purely on subjective views and personal observations. Furthermore, the title of the article includes modified names in Azerbaijani for Armenian monuments, revealing the Azerbaijani state propaganda behind the publication.

Many world institutions, including the Geghard Foundation, have been addressing the issue of the "Albanization" of Armenian cultural heritage by Azerbaijan for years. It is, however, alarming that the mechanism of forced appropriation of Armenian heritage is now extending its reach to new international platforms as well-known and well-known as the official newspaper of the Holy See.

We do not want to think that this is due - as some might be led to think - to the offers or handouts from Azerbaijan's oil and its huge investments in the activities of international structures and organizations. We rather want to believe in a "poisoned meatball" that ended up on the desk of the unfortunate columnist on duty.

In fact, on the one hand, Azerbaijan is artificially creating the image of a "multicultural and democratic" state, while on the other it is "internationalizing" the mechanisms of forced appropriation of Armenian cultural heritage and, increasingly blatant, falsification of history. A few months ago, a photo exhibition dedicated to the so-called "Albanian heritage of the Caucasus" was organized in Poland, where the Azerbaijani embassy was actively involved.

These are dangerous precedents for the distortion of the identity of the Armenian cultural heritage already pulverized by the Azerbaijanis so that no trace of it remains for posterity.

Scholars from all over the world, not only Armenians or pro-Armenians, urge the main international scientific organizations, institutions and media not to promote the anti-Armenian propaganda campaign sponsored by the state of Azerbaijan and known within the processes of widespread "Armenophobia".

We would like to ask the columnist of the “Osservatore Romano” what sources he referred to during his “meditations” on the history of the Caucasus. Perhaps the plethora of historians including the phantom director of the Institute for the Historical Rewriting of Azerbaijan who claims to recognize in the family of the Azerbaijani autocrat, from time to time, a new “Crusader who will save the world” or a descendant of the family of Jesus of Nazareth or the Prophet Mohammed or Saladin the Great, depending on the context.

This journalistic action is however targeted and not casual. It has been conducted every summer against Armenia by the Azerbaijani side, for many years. As almost always happens, the Armenian institutions proper, although urged by intellectuals from all over the world, entrench themselves in an Olympian attitude (in Italian "Contegno Olimpico"). The Armenian side has so far wanted to rely on a suggestive interpretation, particularly discreet, of the rules of non-interference pertaining to diplomacy. Unfortunately, the Azeri counterpart does not usually use these subtleties.

In this case, the person directly concerned with interstate relations is the Armenian Ambassador to the Holy See, H.E. Boris Sahakyan, after having agreed his action with his Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He, far from having been able or required to prevent the publication of this article, could be legitimized, instead, to a formal protest action at various levels and of varying intensity, against the host State. The Ambassador does not lack experience and interpersonal relationship skills, for this reason we encourage him to make his authoritative and gentlemanly voice heard as a refined and decisive old-school diplomat. On the other hand, yesterday H. E. the Armenian Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, in a detailed article entitled: " "Albània Caucasica: la divulgazione non deve distorcere la storia", published in the "Osservatore Romano", wanted to express his thoughts as a representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church.