According to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, all the temples located on the Azerbaijan territory are the historical heritage of the country. Aliyev made the statement during his visit to Aghdam.
"Today, after the end of the war, some leaders from Western circles are raising the question of what will happen to Christian temples in the liberated lands under the control of Azerbaijan. They express these concerns both during conversations with me and in their official statements. No-one should worry, especially the leaders of Western countries that ignite Islamophobic sentiments, those who have turned a blind eye to the insults of Islam and even justified those who are insulting it. They have no right to talk about it.
Second, all the temples in our territory are our historical assets. Azerbaijan hosts the Baku Humanitarian Forum or the Forum on Intercultural Dialogue every year. Azerbaijan hosts summits of leaders of world religions. Look and see what is being said about us. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation cites the attitude towards Islam in Azerbaijan as an example.
During his visit to Baku, Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Kirill praised the work done in this area in Azerbaijan and visited Orthodox churches. In his official speech during his visit to Baku, Pope Francis spoke about tolerance, religious tolerance, and multiculturalism in Azerbaijan.
Who can criticize us? Those who shut down mosques? Can those throwing the heads of killed pigs into Muslim mosques teach us a lesson and express concern? They do not need to express any concerns. The state protects all our historical sites.
On my instruction and at the state's expense, two Orthodox churches are being repaired, while the third church has already been repaired. An office building is under construction. During the war, our Udi brothers' church was repaired and put into operation by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. Our Caucasian Albanian churches are our national treasure. Our Georgian churches, the Armenian church," the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said while visiting Aghdam.