The Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi is being dismantled by Azerbaijanis
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned and deplored reports indicating that Azerbaijan, which currently occupies Shushi in Artsakh, has begun dismantling the Ghazachetsots Cathedral, which was heavily damaged when Azerbaijani forces bombed the iconic church during the war last year.
On Monday, Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender raised the alarm by posting a picture of the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral that is surrounded by scaffolding in what appears to be construction work in progress. The dome of the church and other distinguishing Armenian elements on the building appear to have been erased.
The destruction of Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories currently under Azerbaijani control is worrisome, Armenia’s acting Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian said on Monday during a joint press conference with visiting Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
“We have already witnessed precedents of the destruction of Armenian places of worship, monuments, and official statements justifying them. This issue is in the focus of our attention, and our international partners have strongly criticized any attempts to destroy or misappropriate the Armenian historical and cultural heritage,” Aivazyan added.
The foreign minister said the issue is on the agenda of the peace talks, as evidenced by the 2020 OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ statement of December 3 and April 13. “We work with specialized structures. We cooperate very closely with UNESCO and other structures,” Aivazian said.
The Surp Ghazanchetsots Church in Shushi was damaged by Azerbaijani attack
BERLIN–Azerbaijani forces attacked a church in the city of Shushi on October 8 during the Nagorno-Karabakh hostilities, in what appears to be a deliberate targeting in violation of the laws of war, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday.
Two separate attacks, hours apart, on the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral on October 8 in the town of Shushi, also known as Shusha, suggest that the church, a civilian object with cultural significance, was an intentional target despite the absence of evidence that it was used for military purposes. Remnants of the weapon Human Rights Watch collected at the site corroborate the use of guided munitions. President Ilham Aliyev said that the church could have been targeted only by mistake and was “not among military targets.” The attacks took place while Armenian forces still controlled the city. Azerbaijani forces regained control of the city on November 8, having lost it in hos