On 11-12 September 2026, around 150 representatives of 58 countries’ diplomatic corps and 9 international organizations accredited in Azerbaijan visited ethnically cleansed Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).

The delegation included European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus Magdalena Grono. The group visited Stepanakert, Shushi, Gandzasar Monastery, and Dadivank Monastery accompanied by Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy adviser to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. They visited the ‘Victory Park’ in Stepanakert, effectively a symbol of ethnic cleansing of the entire Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, built on the territory of the destroyed historical neighborhood of Stepanakert. Moreover, footage was disseminated where diplomats are depicted dancing and enjoying themselves in Shushi. During the visit to Gandzasar Monastery and Dadivank Monastery, Hikmet Hajiyev presented them as part of the Caucasian Albanian Christian heritage accusing Armenians of altering the monuments when the region was under Armenian control.

As ‘evidence’ of Armenian historical falsification, Hikmet Hajiyev presented foreign diplomats with the blank pages of a facsimile reproduction at the Gandzasar Monastery Matenadaran museum. Some members of the group were laughing as he displayed the blank pages. The visit itself as well as narratives promoted during the visit are clear examples of continuing state-sponsored policy of altering the origins of Armenian heritage in Azerbaijan as a continuation of the policy of ethnic cleansing. This policy is not new: Azerbaijan’s policy is documented by the UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)1 , and Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights.

You can read the full statement here