Azerbaijan vandalizes We and Our Mountains monument

ArmInfo. Azerbaijan has vandalized the "We and Our Mountains" monument in occupied  Stepanakert. This was reported by the Monument Watch organization. 

"On November 8, 2024, Azerbaijani Telegram channels began publishing  photos and videos of the "We, Our Mountains" monument located in  occupied Stepanakert. The published footage captured numerous notes  on the back of the monument. Mostly, Azerbaijanis who visited the  monument "immortalized" their names, surnames, names of settlements,  and also left mocking notes addressed to Armenians and Armenia.  In  addition, judging by the footage, it becomes clear that the territory  surrounding the monument is damaged.

At the same time, it is noticeable that the Azerbaijani propaganda  machine puts forward the thesis that although the monument was  erected with Azerbaijani money in Soviet times, it has become a  "symbol of Armenian separatism" and therefore should be dismantled.

We can assure you that the Azerbaijani authorities do not prohibit  their residents visiting Stepanakert from covering the monument with  various notes, and also encourage discussions about dismantling the  monument," the Monument Watch statement says.

The organization recalled that acts of vandalism and desecration of  the "We Are Our Mountains" monument are prohibited by the Hague  Convention of 1954. According to Article 4 of the Convention for the  Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict:  "States have the duty to respect both their own and the cultural  property of the other party by refraining from acts of hostility,  desecration, destruction and reprisals." 

"The Council of Europe Convention on the Architectural Heritage, of  which Azerbaijan has been a member since 2010, obliges the parties to  protect and preserve the world's architectural heritage. Article 4  requires parties to avoid distortion or destruction of architectural  heritage values. The desecration of Armenian monuments was also  prohibited by the Hague International Court of Justice in its  decision of December 7, 2021. According to the latter, Azerbaijan  must take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of  vandalism and desecration of Armenian cultural heritage, including,  but not limited to, churches and other places of worship, monuments,  landmarks, cemeteries and artifacts.

In addition, on March 12, 2024, the European Parliament adopted a  resolution on the need for closer ties between the EU and Armenia,  the peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which in its 19th  point condemns the destruction of all historical and cultural sites  documenting the centuries-old Armenian presence, cases of vandalism  and desecration.

The resolution of the French Senate of January 17, 2024 also  condemned Azerbaijan's policy of destroying the cultural heritage of  Nagorno-Karabakh.

And in point 77 of the "Report on the implementation of the Common  Foreign and Security Policy for 2023" of the European Parliament of  February 28, 2024, there is a demand to protect the Armenian cultural  heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh in accordance with UNESCO standards and  Azerbaijan's international obligations," Monument Watch emphasized.