Azerbaijan continues systematic destruction of Armenian heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. The 19th-century Tandzatap Armenian church in Nagorno-Karabakh’s Kovsakan (Zangelan), which has been under Azeri control since Baku’s takeover of the region, has been destroyed, according to satellite imagery released by Caucasus Heritage Watch.

Director of the Geghard Scientific-Research Foundation, Robert Ghazaryan, told Armenpress that the latest vandalism is part of the Azerbaijani state-sanctioned policy of destroying Armenian heritage.

“Typical to their policy, the Azerbaijanis destroyed that church too. Such atrocities have been taking place due to a concrete instruction issued by the Azerbaijani leadership, to destroy and raze to the ground anything that is Armenian, and whenever it is not possible to do so in broad daylight in front of the whole world, they misrepresent the [heritage] as non-Armenian. In fact, this is the continuation of the same policy seeking to erase Armenian traces in territories under their control, just like they did in Nakhchivan, where not a single Armenian church, historical-cultural monument or manuscript has survived. And while the whole world witnessed the destruction of the cross-stones of Jugha [Julfa], the vandals were not sanctioned,” Ghazaryan said.

Ghazaryan said the Armenian side should document these facts and submit them to relevant international organizations in order to pressure Azerbaijan into ending the barbaric acts targeting Armenian monuments. “But I am not too optimistic regarding the results, but nevertheless we must document all of this, especially that now Azerbaijan wouldn’t want some neutral international expert to enter the region because they would document the Armenian trace there and witness the vandalism targeting Armenian historical-cultural monuments. Years later, if Azerbaijan succeeds in fulfilling its plan of completely destroying Armenian traces in territories under its control, perhaps that’s when it will allow some people to enter the territories. But at this phase, Azerbaijan will try to rule it out by all means,” Ghazaryan said.

The Azerbaijani authorities are emboldened by the lack of any strong response from the international community, he added.

Azerbaijan has been systematically destroying and desecrating Armenian churches and monuments in Nagorno-Karabakh after taking over the region. Furthermore, the Azerbaijani authorities converted an Armenian church in Berdzor, the Holy Ascension Church, into a mosque.