“GEGHARD”
SCIENTIFIC ANALYTICAL
FOUNDATION
2025
2025
2025-07-07
On July 3–4, the 17th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) was held in Stepanakert, occupied by Azerbaijan. Ilham Aliyev used this platform to voice false accusations and unfounded demands against Armenia.
Aliyev brought the leaders of ECO member states to Stepanakert to legitimize his anti-Armenian speech in their presence. Following the complete depopulation of Artsakh’s Armenian population, Azerbaijan’s policy centers on an attempt to rewrite history based on distorted and manipulative narratives.
Almost half of the Azerbaijani president’s speech was dedicated to accusations against Armenia. According to his false claims, Armenia destroyed the cities and villages of Artsakh (which he referred to as “Nagorno-Karabakh”), as well as its cultural and religious monuments. Specifically, he claimed that 65 out of the 67 mosques in Artsakh were allegedly leveled to the ground, while the remaining two were damaged and used as stables.
Aliyev added a dangerous tone to these baseless accusations by stating that the issue pertains to “disrespect toward the Islamic faith and the world’s Muslims.” He further claimed that Armenians looted and transported Azerbaijani gravestones to Armenia, and that a state commission established by Azerbaijan has “assessed” the damage at 150 billion US dollars.
Then, a question raises: which international organizations and when have recorded the acts of “vandalism” that Baku repeatedly speaks about? In reality, the exact opposite has been documented by a number of international bodies and monitoring missions.
For example, Caucasus Heritage Watch, based on satellite imagery, has documented the destruction of Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territory of Artsakh. In a report published in June 2024, the organization recorded a 75% increase in the loss of Armenian churches, monasteries, cemeteries, khachkars (cross-stones), and other cultural sites.
The 2025 report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) highlighted that Azerbaijan is pursuing a systematic policy aimed at erasing the Armenian religious and cultural heritage of Artsakh.
UNESCO expressed concern over the numerous reports it has received regarding the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh. The organization has attempted to send a mission to Artsakh to assess the state of cultural heritage on the ground; however, Azerbaijan has refused to grant access so far.
In his speech, Aliyev also addressed the so-called “Western Azerbaijanis,” claiming that it is necessary to ensure the right of return for Azerbaijanis allegedly expelled from Armenia. He referred to the resolutions adopted during the ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held in Istanbul in June 2025, which, according to Aliyev, expressed support for this “right of return.”
In this context, it is important to recall that Stepanakert—an indigenous Armenian city—was occupied and depopulated just two years ago as a result of military operations carried out by Azerbaijan.
The states that participated in the summit held in Stepanakert—Azerbaijan, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, as well as Iran—are also members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. In Istanbul, they unanimously voted in favor of the aforementioned resolutions.
However, beyond these fabricated declarations, the leaders and representatives of these states must clearly recognize the following:
Therefore, any state that participates in such initiatives, votes in favor of such resolutions, or supports Aliyev’s rhetoric, becomes complicit with Azerbaijan in the event of future aggression in the region.