ArmInfo. Armenia has already witnessed the destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage and places of worship, and official attempts to justify these acts. Acting Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan said this at a joint press conference with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis in Yerevan on April 26, referring to the destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage by Azerbaijan in the territories of Artsakh that have come under its control.
"Such processes are of extreme concern. This issue is the focus of our attention and work. I am sure you have noticed that our international partners have strongly condemned any steps aimed at destroying the Armenian cultural and historical heritage or changing their identity," Ayvazyan said, adding that this issue is also on the agenda of the peace process, as evidenced by the statements of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.
At the same time, he stressed that Armenia closely interacts with specialized international structures on this issue, including UNESCO. "Today it is extremely important to raise awareness of this problem in the international community. And our department is working intensively in this direction, " the minister said. As a clear example of his words, he cited the exhibition "Heritage under Threat: Artsakh", which opened in Yerevan, which, according to him, was also visited by high-ranking delegates who arrived in Armenia to participate in events dedicated to the 106th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Ayvazyan recalled that the exhibition will run until May 2 and called on everyone to visit it.
The Armenian side has repeatedly signaled the destruction of Azerbaijan's cultural and historical heritage in the territories that came under the control of Azerbaijan. Video evidence was posted online about the destruction of the Armenian church of Zoravar Surb Astvatsatsin in the Karabakh village of Mehakavan (Jabrayil) by the Azerbaijani military, which was preserved after the end of the fighting, as well as the Kanach Zham church in Shushi occupied by the Azerbaijanis.
It should be noted that on November 20, 2020, UNESCO Director General Audre Azoulay announced the organization's readiness to send a mission to Karabakh to help restore the cultural and historical heritage of the region. In December last year, UNESCO Deputy Director General Ernesto Ottone noted that the organization " is still waiting only for a response from Azerbaijan, so that UNESCO can continue to work with the direction of the mission on the ground." In turn, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, in a communique issued on December 22, called on UNESCO not to politicize the issue of protecting cultural heritage in Karabakh and said that Baku is " open to a constructive dialogue to discuss the details of the organization of the mission."
The Russian Foreign Ministry has also repeatedly stated that Moscow expects the visit of the UNESCO mission to Nagorno-Karabakh in the near future. However, the issue is deliberately delayed by the Azerbaijani side, and against this background, acts of vandalism are being committed in the territories of Nagorno-Karabakh that are under the control of Azerbaijan, and Armenian cultural and historical monuments are being destroyed.