Nagorno-Karabakh conflict : A fight about International law not religion

The city of Shusha in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is recognized as part of Azerbaijan by the UN, has been in the news after the bombing of a historic cathedral located there during the current fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Last week Armenia accused Azerbaijan of targeting Holy Saviour Cathedral, an iconic site in Shusha for the Armenian Apostolic Church, which was shelled during the recent clashes, which broke out on 27 September. 20% of Azerbaijani territories, including Shusha, have been under de facto Armenian control since the early 1990s despite 4 UN resolutions asking for the immediate withdrawal of Armenian forces.

Both sides have blamed each other for the current violence, with Azerbaijan countering the Armenian claims of damage to civilian targets with their accusations against the Armenian army firing on civilians in Ganja, Tartar, Beylagan, Garbanoy, and Mingachevir – home to a giant power plant in the South Caucasus. These regions are a long way from the center of hostilities and have no military targets.
The Armenian accusations regarding the bombing of the cathedral in Shusha pose the risk of reopening old scars and igniting a religious motive behind the war.

Armenia has a national Christian religion, which is an ancient form of Christianity that was the first to be identified as a state religion. As a national church, it plays an integral part in the spiritual life, development of the national culture, and preservation of Armenia's national identity.

But Azerbaijan is known as a secular state, tolerant and multicultural as it embraces many different religions.

Many religions co-exist harmoniously in Azerbaijan, including Jewish, Christians, and others, and the constitution guarantees that people of all faiths may choose and practice their religion without restriction. While restoring and funding dozens of churches and seven synagogues at home, Azerbaijan also provides support for the restoration of religious sites abroad, including the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, the Marcellino and Pietro Catacombs in the Vatican, synagogues, and churches in Georgia. Known as the land of no-antisemitism, Azerbaijan has been home for centuries to the ancient Mountain Jew community in Quba, the largest all-Jewish town outside Israel.

It would be an absolute travesty if the current war, which is fundamentally about international law and the sovereign control of territory, were to degenerate into bickering and propaganda about religious differences. The brokers for peace in this regional conflict deal with the legal issues at stake of land and sovereignty. They mustn't allow either side to start trading insults, which are based upon racial or religious stereotypes. That will only inflame passions and tempers in the torrid Caucasus when it is the qualities of patience and restraint that are in short supply at present.