The NKR Tourism and Culture Development Agency called on UNESCO not to ignore the destruction of Armenian heritage in Artsakh.

ArmInfo. The Artsakh Culture and Tourism Development Agency called on UNESCO to take effective steps to prevent the further destruction of Armenian heritage in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR).

The Artsakh Culture and Tourism Development Agency expressed deep outrage and concern over the statement by Joyti Khosagrakar, Deputy Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center, that she is unaware of any instances of destruction of Armenian churches in Artsakh by Azerbaijan. The UNESCO official made this statement at the Matenadaran during an international meeting on nature and culture, in response to an Armenian journalist's request to assess the destruction of Artsakh heritage.

The Artsakh Culture and Tourism Development Agency hastened to recall that there is extensive documentary evidence of the destruction of Artsakh's Armenian heritage. "Alarm signals and documentary evidence regarding the destruction and damage of the Armenian cultural and religious heritage of Artsakh, as well as the distortion of its historical identity, have long been raised by researchers and public organizations. Such ignorance on the part of a high-ranking representative of UNESCO, the organization responsible for protecting World Heritage, raises serious questions," the organization noted in a statement on its Facebook page.

The Agency recalled that the Armenian churches and monasteries of Artsakh are an integral part of the universal cultural heritage, and therefore their protection should not depend on political interests. "We call on UNESCO to examine the available facts and evidence, ensure independent international monitoring of the condition of Armenian monuments in Artsakh, and take effective steps to prevent their further destruction and distortion of their historical identity.

The protection of cultural heritage requires not silence or inaction, but responsibility and concrete action. "We expect a clear position and effective steps from UNESCO to preserve the Armenian cultural heritage of Artsakh," the organization concluded.

It should be noted that since the occupation of Artsakh, Azerbaijan has completely destroyed or significantly damaged the following cultural and religious sites. The Kanach Zham (Surb Hovhannes Mkrtich) Church in Shushi was completely destroyed in April 2024; the Ghazanchetsots Cemetery in Shushi was completely destroyed; the village of Karintak was completely bulldozed; and monuments and busts in Stepanakert, including those to Charles Aznavour, Hovhannes Aivazovsky, Hovhannes Tumanyan, and Marshal Baghramyan, were dismantled. The Marshal Khudyakov Museum in the village of Mets Tager was destroyed.

Currently, approximately 4,000 Armenian cultural sites remain under Azerbaijani control, including more than 370 churches and 119 ancient fortresses.