Azerbaijan Changes Nakhijevan Constitution, Cripples Autonomy, Erases Armenian History, Declares Full Control

Azerbaijan has taken a bold and troubling step in its campaign to erase Armenian history from the South Caucasus. On July 5, Azerbaijan’s National Assembly approved controversial constitutional amendments that officially remove all references to the 1921 Moscow and Kars treaties from the Constitution of the Nakhijevan Autonomous Republic.

These treaties had guaranteed Nakhijevan’s autonomy and served as a fragile legal framework for the region’s complex history. Instead, the amended text now states: “The Nakhijevan Autonomous Republic is an inseparable part of Azerbaijan.”

With this change, Azerbaijan has not only weakened Nakhijevan’s internal autonomy but also tightened its grip over the region—historically a cradle of Armenian culture, faith, and identity.

Nakhijevan was once home to thousands of Armenians and hundreds of Armenian churches, monasteries, schools, and cemeteries. The region holds a sacred place in Armenian history. According to Armenian tradition, Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the Armenian alphabet, founded schools in Nakhijevan. Early Armenian manuscripts mention the region as a vibrant center of learning and Christian life.

Under Russian rule in the 19th century, Armenians made up a large portion of the population. But Soviet politics in the 1920s placed Nakhijevan under Azerbaijani jurisdiction, despite its deep Armenian roots. From that point on, the Armenian population began to decline—first slowly, and then rapidly.

By 1988, as tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh escalated, the last Armenians of Nakhijevan were gone. What followed was not just the removal of a people, but the systematic destruction of their history.

From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, Armenian heritage in Nakhijevan suffered devastating blows. One of the most documented atrocities was the destruction of the medieval Armenian cemetery of Julfa, which once contained over 10,000 intricately carved khachkars—stone crosses unique to Armenian culture.

By 2006, satellite images and video evidence confirmed that the Julfa cemetery had been completely wiped from the landscape. Grave markers were smashed, the stones dumped into the nearby river. International scientists and historians, including from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), confirmed the loss using geospatial analysis. Yet, to this day, Azerbaijan denies the site ever existed.

This isn’t just cultural vandalism. It is a deliberate attempt to erase the Armenian presence—not only from the land, but from the pages of history.

Nakhijevan today is largely closed off from the outside world. Independent journalists, archaeologists, and heritage experts have no access. International cultural organizations are barred from investigating what remains of Armenian historical sites in the region. The lack of transparency has made it nearly impossible to track what else has been lost.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijani state propaganda portrays Nakhijevan as a successful region of economic development and modernization. But beneath the shiny surface lies a dark truth: entire chapters of Armenian civilization have been erased—and no one has been held responsible.

The latest constitutional changes are not just symbolic—they are strategic. By eliminating references to the 1921 Moscow and Kars treaties, Azerbaijan is signaling its intention to rewrite the region’s legal history and expand centralized control. Nakhijevan’s local government will now answer directly to the President of Azerbaijan. Even elections for the region’s assembly can no longer be called independently—they must be approved by Baku.

This is not just about Nakhijevan. This is a message to all Armenian lands once controlled or contested by Azerbaijan: history will be rewritten by force, and identity will be reshaped by decree.

The tragedy of Nakhijevan is a warning to the international community. Cultural erasure is a silent weapon of war. It does not make headlines like bombs and blockades, but it kills just the same—by burying memory, language, and faith under cement and silence.

For Armenians, Nakhijevan is not just a lost homeland. It is a living reminder of what happens when the world looks away. As Azerbaijan moves forward with its policies of denial, destruction, and domination, the Armenian people continue to resist—through memory, through history, and through the unshakable truth that culture cannot be erased as long as it is remembered.

The fight to preserve Armenian heritage—whether in Nakhijevan, Artsakh, or elsewhere—is a fight for justice, dignity, and survival. History belongs to all of us, and when it is rewritten to serve the interests of the powerful, everyone loses.

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