Tuesday, May 4 2021 14:50

ArmInfo.The actions being carried out by Azerbaijan at the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral of the Holy Savior in Shushi are deplorable, as there are already many precedents  for the destruction of Armenian places of worship, monuments, as well  as for justification of such actions. This is stated in the statement  of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia regarding the  construction works at the Holy Ghazanchetsots Cathedral being carried  out by Azerbaijan.

According to the source, among the many war crimes committed by the  Azerbaijani armed forces during the aggression against Artsakh is the  deliberate targeting of the Shushi Ghazanchetsots Cathedral with high  precision weapons twice within a day, followed by the act of  vandalism after the ceasefire was established.  It's noteworthy that  Azerbaijan carries out actions at the Shushi Cathedral without  consulting with the Armenian Apostolic Church, which clearly violates  the right of the Armenian believers to freedom of religion. 

It is equally concerning that Azerbaijan has started to change the  architectural appearance of the church before the launch of work by  the UNESCO expert assessment mission. It is obvious that Azerbaijan  is deliberately blocking the entry of UNESCO experts to the  endangered Armenian cultural heritage sites, on the one hand to cover  the war crimes it has committed, and on the other hand to change the  historical- architectural integrity of the monument.

In this situation, all the concerns of the Armenian side that these  actions of Azerbaijan are manifestations of vandalism, aimed at  depriving the Shushi Mother Cathedral of its Armenian identity are  more than substantiated.

No action can be carried out at the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, the  numerous Armenian historical and cultural monuments and places of  worship in the territories of Artsakh under the Azerbaijani  occupation, without documentation of the current situation by  international, first of all, UNESCO experts and their active  involvement in restoration works. Shushi Cathedral is one of the  important centers of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Artsakh, it  should serve as a place of worship.