Pashinyan links Nagorno-Karabakh cultural heritage issue to   principle of reciprocity

ArmInfo.  Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has linked the issue of preserving cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh to the principle of reciprocity. During  a press-briefing on April 30, he raised the possibility that Armenia  might adopt a mirrored stance regarding cultural sites built by  Azerbaijanis on Armenian sovereign territory. Pashinyan used  Artsvashen—an enclave expected to return to Armenian jurisdiction  following the border delimitation and demarcation process—as a  primary example.

"Artsvashen is Armenia's sovereign territory. I would like to remind  you that Armenia and Azerbaijan have mutually recognized each other's  territorial integrity based on the Alma-Ata Declaration. Let's  imagine a situation that Artsvashen, after demarcation and border  delimitation, becomes a sovereign part of Armenia, and we discover,  for example, that a large mosque was built there in 2016. What would  our reaction be?  For example, if citizens bring their property  deeds, what would we do? It is quite possible that such decisions  will be made," he noted.

Pashinyan emphasized that both nations are currently engaged in  identical, yet mirrored, internal debates.  He noted that just as  Armenian journalists and citizens raise concerns over war crimes and  cultural destruction, similar accusations are voiced in Azerbaijan.   The Prime Minister urged a move away from purely patriotic rhetoric  toward a framework based on officially documented agreements.

Recall, on April 21, it was reported that Azerbaijan had demolished  the Surb Astvatsatsin Church in Nagorno-Karabakh. Just days before,   the enemy had destroyed the Surb Hakob Church in Stepanakert.   Recently, Azerbaijan has been actively preparing the ground for the  destruction of one of the symbols of Artsakh—the "We Are Our  Mountains" monument. The cultural genocide in Artsakh is happening  with the silent approval of the so-called civilized international  community. Day after day, the Azerbaijani occupiers are destroying  sites that bear witness to the millennia-long presence of Armenians  on this land. The only proof of these crimes is satellite imagery, as  Azerbaijan refuses to allow a UNESCO monitoring mission into the  territory.

It should be noted that since the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh,  Azerbaijan has completely demolished or significantly damaged the  following cultural and religious sites: the Kanach Jam (Surb  Hovhannes Mkrtich) Church in Shushi was completely destroyed in April  2024, the Ghazanchetsots cemetery in Shushi was completely destroyed,  the village of Karintak was completely bulldozed, and monuments and  busts in Stepanakert, including those to Charles Aznavour, Hovhannes  Aivazovsky, Hovhannes Tumanyan, and Marshal Baghramyan, were  dismantled. The Marshal Khudyakov Museum in the village of Mets Tager  was destroyed. Today, approximately 4,000 Armenian cultural sites  remain under Azerbaijani control, including more than 370 churches  and 119 ancient fortresses.