Hikmet Hajiyev: Azerbaijan is committed to preserving Christian heritage on its territory

Azerbaijan is committed to preserving Christian heritage on its territory, as it is part of its history.

This was stated by Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev during his participation in the Arab Media Forum in Dubai, Euronews reports.

"Azerbaijan is committed to preserving Christian heritage on its sovereign territory, regardless of its affiliation, period. Because this is our cultural heritage," he emphasized.

Hikmet Hajiyev noted that during the years of occupation, Islamic cultural heritage in Karabakh and East Zangezur was subjected to complete destruction by Armenia: "Pigs were even kept in our mosques. There is no manifestation of revenge on our part, but this is our history and our heritage, and we cannot forget it."

Revealing the history of cultural and religious diversity in Azerbaijan, Hikmet Hajiyev noted that he is "more than proud that the country is one of the first centers of Zoroastrianism."

"It is also one of the first places where Christianity originated: as early as the 4th century, Christianity was adopted by Caucasian Albania as the official religion, after which Azerbaijan was also one of the first to adopt Islam. Azerbaijan is part of Islamic civilization and at the same time, today Islam, Christianity, and Judaism coexist peacefully in the country, with mosques, churches, and synagogues," he said.