10:47, 16 February, 2022
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani government continues the destruction of Armenian cultural monuments and churches in the occupied territories of Artsakh, falsely claiming that the Armenian writings and inscriptions on the churches are fake.
The Azeri authorities flagrantly announced that “Armenians left traces on Azeri monuments which must be cleaned,” and even commissioned a task force to do so.
After it was reported that UNESCO wants to visit Artsakh, the Azeri authorities launched a commission to rewrite history and attempt to mislead the international community as if there are no Armenian monuments in Artsakh.
Speaking to ARMENPRESS, Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, the Primate of the Diocese of Artsakh of the Armenian Apostolic Church, expressed concern and noted that now they are sounding the alarm in various platforms.
“What else should we do now. What the Azerbaijanis are now doing with our cultural heritage is nothing new. As a nomadic people, they always had an eye on what’s ours. The same continues today. We must come to our senses to understand how to keep our heritage. Why should someone else come and say ‘I’m here to keep it’. The Azerbaijani leadership is already preparing its intentions and plans, they know their national strategy. Regardless of what foreign diplomatic or religious meetings take place, they either maintain a passive stance or they say ‘we’ll think’. As a result they do what they’d planned.”
The trilateral meeting of the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill and the Azerbaijan-based Chairman of the Caucasian Muslims Office (CMO) Allahshukur Pashazadeh took place at the Danilov Monastery, the headquarters of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow in October 2021. Karekin II voiced the issue of the fate of Shushi’s Ghazanchetsots Cathedral at this meeting. There were hopes that the church would be preserved. But now, the Azeri authorities want to capture and appropriate all cultural monuments in the territories of Artsakh which they have occupied.
Bishop Abrahamyan says the Azerbaijanis ignore these meetings, and even ignore calls from international organizations such as UNESCO.
“They do whatever they want, it’s their signature, they destroy whichever monument they want, change or demolish the others. We are unable to bring back our captives, when did the war end? People have become living monuments in Baku, it’s difficult to imagine the physical and emotional sufferings and torture they are going through. The whole world tells Azerbaijan to release the Armenian captives, but they don’t release them,” Vrtanesyan said.
In a situation like this, the Bishop says Armenians should rely on themselves. He said that the Artsakh authorities are doing everything they can to prevent the Azeri atrocities.
“We must come to our senses, work correctly to preserve our national, religious identity. It is the legacy of our ancestors. We were reckless, and failed to keep them, and now we are getting what we are getting. I can’t say for a fact that the Shushi church will be preserved. During the abovementioned trilateral meeting the Azeri side said that Italian specialists have arrived for renovation. But we all know and we’ve seen what the Azeris mean by saying ‘renovation’, it’s a synonym for destruction for them. Today, our nation must sign a contract with themselves, stipulating that we have nothing else to surrender to the enemy. If every person were to make this clear decision for themselves, this will become a national alliance, a so-called “document” to resolve the future fate and security of the nation. If not, we will stay torn apart like this,” the Bishop said.
Interview by Liana Sargsyan