Ruben Rubinyan Rejects Hajiyev’s Claims About Armenian Heritage as “Unfounded”

YEREVAN — “These statements are unfounded and are neither conducive nor helpful to peace,” National Assembly Speaker Ruben Rubinyan said in response to Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev’s presentation of Armenian historical and cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh to European diplomats as Albanian.

On September 14, Anna Grigoryan, an MP from the opposition Armenia Alliance, asked Rubinyan whether, as speaker of the country’s parliament, he intended to publicly affirm that Gandzasar is Armenian and whether such actions contribute to establishing peace.

Rubinyan responded that the newly achieved peace requires care and that it is important to demonstrate sensitivity on various issues.

“On the other hand, it is positive that we are now living in conditions of peace and that our disagreements or disputes over such matters are expressed in this way rather than through gunfire or clashes along the border,” Rubinyan said.

Representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan had traveled to Nagorno-Karabakh for a two-day visit. The delegation included approximately 150 representatives from the diplomatic missions of 58 countries and nine international organizations.

During the visit, Hajiyev presented Armenian historical and cultural monuments, including Gandzasar and Dadivank monasteries, to the diplomats as Christian heritage of “ancient Caucasian Albania.”