Thursday, August 1 2024 10:04

ArmInfo. The "Greater and Lesser Syunik" memorial on the border of Syunik and Artsakh, which came under the control of Azerbaijan, has been wiped off the face of the earth by Azerbaijan, reported MONUMENT WATCH - an independent academic platform that records and presents the state of the cultural heritage of Artsakh, changes in it, and provides comments based on professional knowledge and within the framework of academic ethics.

Thus, Azerbaijan continues to destroy traces of the Armenian presence on the territory of Artsakh against the backdrop of silent encouragement and inaction of the international community.

The monument was built in 2004 by architect Sevada Zakaryan, on the initiative of former Syunik Governor Suren Khachatryan and with the funding of then Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine Maxim Hakobyan.

The idea of the monument was the unity of Greater and Lesser Syunik (historically, Artsakh was called Lesser Syunik). In 2007, a khachkar was installed next to the monument indicating the entrance to the Republic of Artsakh. Earlier, the architect of the monument shared his concerns with the editorial board of the newspaper "Syunyats Yerkir" and noted that the complete dismantling of the monument and its transfer to Syunik is impossible, since the stones will become unusable, which will not allow the monument to be restored to its previous appearance. Only the khachkar installed with it can be moved. The Armenian side moved the khachkar on April 3, 2023, and this can be considered an exception, when a monument is removed from its historical landscape, separated from its integrity for the sake of salvation. Azerbaijani telegram channels are already shouting about the imminent demolition and destruction of the monument.