Azerbaijan is Appropriating Artsakh’s Iconic ‘We Are Our Mountains’ Monument

n their quest to destroy and reframe the Armenian identity of historic cultural and religious monuments in occupied Artsakh, the authorities in Azerbaijan have begun the process of appropriating the iconic “Are Our Mountains” monument located in the outskirts of Stepanakert.

The watchdog group Monument Watch on Monday raised a red flag by sharing a recent post from Culture of Azerbaijan, which posted a picture of the monument with a tag line that read, “‘We Are Our Mountain’ was built in 1967 in Kankhendi, Azerbaijan,” referring to the Azerbaijani name used to refer to Stepanakert.

The Azerbaijan Culture post continued to say, “The monument is a sign of Azerbaijan’s multi-cultural and ethnic and religious tolerance, among many other examples.”

It is a well known fact that the monument is one of the contemporary symbols of Artsakh Armenians and that it was created as symbol and longevity of Armenian identity. The monument, also known as “Mamik and Papa,” was created by sculptor Sarkis Baghdasaryan and architect Yuri Hakobyan. It depicts an old married couple in traditional Armenian garb perched atop a hill overlooking all of Artsakh and is a testament to the historical past and future hopes of Artsakh Armenians. The tufa used to create the monument was especially brought in from Armenia.

“Azerbaijan’s policy toward the monument is an attempt to usurp heritage, when it not only separates itself from the Armenian affiliation, but also creates the image of a multicultural and tolerant country for Azerbaijan. With such a policy, Azerbaijan violates the 2005 UN Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions adopted in Paris,” Monuments Watch, a group that monitors Artsakh’s Armenian cultural heritage, said.

Azerbaijan will be hosting the United Nations Climate Summit, known as COP29, in Baku in November. Human rights advocates, among them the first and former prosecutor general of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, have warned that Azerbaijan will use the international forum to whitewash its policies of hatred, human rights violations and ethnic cleansing against Armenians.

Ocampo, along with the Armenian National Committee International, has called on all Armenians to raise their voices against Azerbaijan’s attempt to blatantly alter history, including its campaign of appropriating Armenian religious, historic and cultural monuments.

Last week, the parliamentary factions of the Artsakh Parliament, which is operating in exile in Armenia, called on all Armenians to rally against Baku’s rights abuses and ethnic cleansing.