In a statement to the Yerevan media, Armenian lawyer Levon Baghdasaryan claimed that Azerbaijan is a "feudal-clerical country." For those interested in history, sociology, politics, law, and philosophy, this claim is quite absurd. The approach taken by Armenians, who have "created" a history for themselves based on fabrications and, since the collapse of the USSR, have not progressed beyond being an artificial state, is a typical example of "Gaslighting."
This claim contradicts both objective history and reality.
Unlike Armenians, the Azerbaijani people possess a strong sense of statehood identification. This identification is rooted in the traditions of the Turkic state systems. The emergence of the Republic of Azerbaijan is a result of the processes that took place in Tsarist Russia and globally in the early 20th century. As is well-known, on May 28, 1918, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) was established. The ADR was the first republic in the Muslim world to have a parliament and was based on democratic principles. The state's primary goal was to ensure equal rights for all individuals, regardless of social status, religion, or ethnicity. Although the Musavat government collapsed due to occupation in 1920, the republic lived on in legal terms. Azerbaijan, which initially functioned as an "independent" Soviet Socialist Republic, was later incorporated into the USSR. After restoring its independence in 1991, Azerbaijan established modern political institutions and a legal system. Today, Azerbaijan is a secular state and one of the foremost models of a multicultural society on the planet.
Feudalism was a system prevalent during the Middle Ages. In feudal societies, the wealthy class owned land, and peasants worked on the lands of the feudal lords. Indeed, Azerbaijan experienced the feudal era, although in a significantly different manner from classic European countries and Russia. It is no coincidence that the city of Yerevan, now the capital of Armenia and officially granted to the Armenians by the National Council of the ADR, was the hereditary property of Azerbaijani Turkic feudal lords- khans. Thanks to the development of capitalism under Tsarist Russia, the preference for modernization by the national bourgeoisie and land aristocracy during the ADR, socialism in the Soviet era, and the liberal market economy in the contemporary period, the Azerbaijani people have moved far away from feudalism. This also signifies that the Azerbaijani people are part of historical dialectics.
However, the history of Armenians in the South Caucasus lacks a tradition of land ownership or the formation of a noble class. This is primarily due to the fact that the majority of the Armenian population was settled in the South Caucasus after the Treaty of Turkmenchay. The property rights of the Etchmiadzin Church, which has been operating in the South Caucasus since 1441, belonged to Azerbaijani Turkic feudal lords. The Etchmiadzin Church played the role of a spiritual center for an extremely small religious community in the South Caucasus, and its leaders considered it a great honor to be subjects of the feudal Turkic states, serving under their patronage. Both during the Soviet era and in the present day, books have been published to fabricate a false political past for this religious community, bolstered by Tsarist Russia’s resettlement policy, in violation of the principles and methods of positive science. Through these "studies," Albanian, Sasanian-Mehrani, Turkic, and Georgian feudal houses have been Armenized using non-scientific methods. Persistent efforts have been made to create an "Armenian feudal history" in Karabakh and Zangezur. The researchers who conducted this work disregarded scientific principles and methods to such an extent that they did not hesitate to grant the title of "Bey" to a rootless servant named "David," who had no connection to Zangezur, and presented his bandit activities as an "Armenian liberation uprising." In short, it is difficult to claim that Armenians, as a society, have genuinely undergone a feudal era.
Just as Armenian society could not transition through feudalism, it also failed to come close to capitalism. The main reason for this is that the current Republic of Armenia, in terms of territory, natural resources, and human resources, is incapable of developing a capitalist system. Capitalism requires raw materials, technology, human resources, and urbanization- Armenians possess none of these resources. As a result, Armenians were unable to experience the nation-building phase that is a product of capitalism, nor were they able to pass through it and ultimately establish an independent state. The current Republic of Armenia is a quasi-republic and a politicized clerical organization, lacking a statehood identification.
Armenian identity is based on the Gregorian Church. The Church is not only a religious institution in Armenian society but also an organizer of national identity and social structure. It acts as the main political actor in Armenian society. Throughout various historical periods, the Church has been the political power center of Armenian society and has played a significant role in political decision-making. Even today, the Church continues to directly or indirectly influence politics within Armenia.
While the Republic of Armenia officially declares itself a "secular state" today, the political will of society is shaped by the influence of the Armenian Apostolic Church. There are close and inseparable ties between the government and the religious institution in Armenia. The Constitution of Armenia recognizes the Church's special status, further strengthening the influence of religion in society. The Church's influence is also openly seen in the Armenian military- priests serve in military units. Having accepted the Monophysite doctrine of Christianity, Armenians have separated themselves from other Christian nations and churches, becoming a more closed and isolated religious community. This ensures that the influence of clericalism remains strong within Armenian society.
The most important result of modern progress in the world is the separation of religion from philosophy, science, education, the state, law, economy, healthcare, and other spheres. Today, science and education in Armenia are entirely under the influence of the Church. Lessons based on the Monophysite doctrine are taught in schools, causing future generations to grow up in a clerical atmosphere.
Finally, Levon Baghdasaryan’s "comment" and, in general, such statements published in clerical Armenia aim to justify Armenia's occupation mentality, cover up internal problems, and mislead the international community. Unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan has established itself as an internationally recognized independent and secular state through its history, political, and economic development. Armenia, which has been left out of the progress process due to its occupation policies and wasted 30 years, cannot escape being a clerical country that fails to keep pace with the modern world. As a result, the phenomenon of projection (attributing negative feelings, thoughts, or behaviors existing within oneself to others) emerges in the psychology of the Armenian society.
Levon Baghdasaryan is a small yet typical example of this phenomenon.
Taleh Shahsuvarli
Editor-in-Chief of the AzNews.az Analytical-Information Portal