Armenia’s Foreign Ministry Shifts Responsibility to Matenadaran for Responding to Azerbaijan’s Artsakh Claims

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said Monday that the Matenadaran, Armenia’s leading center for ancient manuscripts, was the appropriate institution to respond to Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev’s claims about Armenian cultural and religious heritage in Artsakh. Mirzoyan said the Foreign Ministry was satisfied with the Matenadaran’s response.

Hajiyev drew criticism in Armenia after accompanying foreign diplomats on a Sept. 11-12 visit to occupied Artsakh, where he presented Gandzasar and Dadivank — medieval monasteries with centuries of documented Armenian history — as part of the Christian heritage of ancient Caucasian Albania.

Asked why Armenia’s Foreign Ministry had not issued a stronger response, Mirzoyan said the matter had been addressed through institutions with expertise in history and manuscripts.

“There are more specialized institutions for that,” Mirzoyan told reporters. “We heard the Matenadaran’s position and are satisfied with its stance and response. We engaged with the Matenadaran, and a visit to the Matenadaran took place.”

He was referring to a Sept. 14 visit by Magdalena Grono, the European Union’s special representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, to the Matenadaran in Yerevan. Accompanied by an Armenian deputy foreign minister, Grono viewed the repository’s collection of Armenian manuscripts and learned about their history.

Just days earlier, Grono had been among the diplomats who traveled to Artsakh with Hajiyev.

During the delegation’s stop at Gandzasar, Hajiyev showed diplomats what were presented as examples of ancient Armenian books. Video from the visit showed him opening manuscript reproductions to blank pages, prompting laughter from some officials in the room.

After the trip, Grono wrote on social media that there were “deeply diverging views and narratives about the origins of some sites.” She did not specify which sites she was referring to or elaborate on the competing accounts.

Her visit to the Matenadaran followed on Sept. 14, giving the EU envoy an opportunity to see Armenia’s extensive collection of original manuscripts and historical records.

Hajiyev’s remarks have fueled criticism in Armenia and renewed concern over how Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh is being presented since Azerbaijan took full control of the region in September 2023, forcing its Armenian population to flee.

Critics and opposition figures have called on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the Foreign Ministry to publicly challenge Baku’s claims.

National Assembly Speaker Ruben Rubinyan responded Sunday, calling Hajiyev’s statements unfounded and saying they were neither helpful nor constructive at a time when Armenia and Azerbaijan are seeking to consolidate peace.

Mirzoyan adopted a similar position Monday.

He said Hajiyev’s statements do not help strengthen peace and instead reinforce doubts among those who remain skeptical about the prospects of the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process.

Mirzoyan did not announce any additional diplomatic response from the Armenian government.

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