Ombudsman of cultural of the  Armenian Highlands warns of imminent  destruction of two Armenian churches in Stepanakert

ArmInfo. Azerbaijan is preparing the groundwork for the demolition of the Church of St. Hakob and the  Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God in Stepanakert. Hovik Avanesov, the Ombudsman of Culture of the Armenian Highlands, wrote  on his Facebook page.

He reported that the Azerbaijani propaganda materials suggest  destroying the mentioned churches and build mosques in their place.  In this regard, the Ombudsman recalled that before the Church of the  Ascension in Berdzor was completely destroyed, there were also  proposals to either demolish it or  convert  into a mosque.

According to Avanesov, given that the Azerbaijani authorities have  awarded a high-level honor to the person who brutally killed a  sleeping Armenian officer, it is quite possible that they will also  encourage ordinary citizens who desecrate Armenian monuments, thereby  involving the people in  the destruction of the Armenian cultural  heritage of Artsakh. He expressed confidence that the current and  past events indicate a serious threat of the complete destruction of  the cultural heritage of Artsakh.