Azerbaijan's cultural wealth faces risk of Armenian theft

By Farman Aydin, AzerNews

Armenians claim that they have been ancient inhabitants of the South Caucasus and even the surrounding territories, including Turkiye, Georgia, Iran, and elsewhere.

Such an approach could later lead them to extortion, territorial claims, occupation, and, finally, theft. If the ideology of a nation is based on territorial claims against others or appropriation of national music and cuisine, then what that society can do against you is quite evident.

Azerbaijanis had to share the same geography with Armenians due to certain historical reasons under Tsarist Russia's measures on territorial division and inclusion of Armenians in the territories of Azerbaijan. From time to time, the Armenian community, which infiltrates into the interior of Azerbaijan, started to spread its irredentist policy inside.

Azerbaijani cuisine, music, and even culture are unique in the South Caucasus. There are many facts about our national cuisine and music. Our ancient musical instruments, tar, and kamancha, left a deep mark in Azerbaijan's Garabagh and many historical places centuries ago. About two centuries ago, when our national mughams were performed in the Khan's palace in Garabagh, Armenians began to show special interest in our culture and art. Later, the performance of mugham on the kamancha instrument began to be mastered by Armenians. Armenians, who became professionals in replicating art and only simulating it, started to distort it because they did not bring any innovation to the national culture. After some time, the ancient musical instruments of Azerbaijan began to be presented on stages under the name "Armenian folk instrumental ensemble".

Today, social media is more active in this fake PR. During the Soviet Union, there was only one television channel, and the campaign of Armenians to appropriate national music and cuisines under the traditions of unity of nations and totalitarianism was not very successful. As the times changed, the plagiarists who spread around the world began to continue the campaign of stealing Azerbaijani music more widely.

Here, this Armenian clarinet player, who calls himself a master, plays the Azerbaijani national music, which he learnt with great enthusiasm, and tried to perform in a new remix form. Those who play under his music feel like full Armenians, but in reality, they are surrounded by the sounds of Azerbaijani music.

The strangest thing is that they can't recognise the taste in their mouths without Azerbaijani cuisine. Dolma, ash, kebab, and whatever else you can say about the national and delicious cuisine of Azerbaijan can be found on the table of "hayes".

In fact, it is a very tragicomic description - on the one hand, Azerbaijani musical sounds, on the other hand, our national cuisine is the only way out for a society with no identity to recognise its true culture. From the time they came to the South Caucasus, Armenians began to shape themselves as a people by distorting the Albanian churches and adopting the ancient customs of the local people (the ancient Azerbaijani Turks).

The Armenians, who called the Turks "barbarians" and always saw the Azerbaijanis as their rivals, crawled into the shadows and finally got a flag after centuries of invasions. But this did not help them to have culture. For them, the last resort is to continue stealing...