An exhibition at the National Assembly showcases the Armenian historical and cultural trace in Baku. The Armenian religious and historical-cultural heritage of Baku, the buildings authored by Armenian architects and engineers and the heritage of Armenian tycoons of Baku are presented.
The forced deportation of Armenians from Azerbaijan began on February 27, 1988, with the Sumgait pogroms and continued to this day, MP Vilen Gabrielyan, the initiator of the vent, said at the opening of the exhibition.
“More than 100,000 of our compatriots were forced to flee Nagorno-Karabakh. More than 500,000 Armenians born in Azerbaijan have now moved to Armenia, and the total number of Armenians who fled Azerbaijan reaches 800,000,” the lawmaker said.
“Armenians and Azerbaijanis lived side by side when they had peace. The buildings depicted in the pictures of the exhibition are a proof and a call to take steps to achieve peace, to live side by side,” said National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan.
Mark Grigoryan, director of the National Museum-Institute of Architecture after Alexander Tamanyan, emphasized the important contribution of Armenian architects and cultural figures to the development of Baku.
“The city of Baku was richer when Armenians lived and created there. This is a fact that should be acknowledged, although I understand that it is very difficult for Baku to accept it from a political point of view,” said Mark Grigoryan.
“In late 19th century and early 20th century, Baku became a rapidly developing and rich city due to oil reserves. People from all over Europe would come to the city to make money. The money was literally under the feet, it was just necessary to pick it up. And since most of the oil producers were Armenians, they financed the architects who built buildings that were the pride of Baku and Azerbaijan. For example, the Mayilian Theater, which is now the Opera House of Azerbaijan, the current Philharmonic building, and several bank buildings and churches. There is an Armenian church in the central square of Baku, and they keep the church to show it to everyone,” said Grigoryan.
Ambassadors of Romania and Poland to Armenia, the Chargé D’affaires of Iraq, Spain, Ukraine, Argentina, the Plenipotentiary Ministers of the Embassies of Bulgaria and Kuwait, representatives of the Embassies of Serbia, the Russian Federation, China, and Slovakia and members of the National Assembly were also present at the opening of the exhibition, which will run until December 20.
