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    Categories: 2022

Historical and cultural monuments are evacuated from Berdzor, Aghavno and Nerkin Sus

NEWS.am
Aug 10 2022

Khachkar, dedicated to the victims of the Genocide, is removed from the territory adjacent to the Holy Ascension Church in Berdzor, Deputy Minister Lernik Hovhannisyan told Artsakh Public Television, adding that if the monuments remain under Azerbaijan's control, they will be destroyed. "Back in February 2021, in the courtyard of Tsakhkavank Church in Tsakuri village of Hadrut region, the President of Azerbaijan clearly stated that the monuments that have been erected for thirty years are to be destroyed. He also said that all Armenian monuments must be written off," he said. Most of the monuments evacuated from Berdzor, Aghavno and Sus will be in the yards of other churches. The martyrs' memorials on the grounds of the Church of Holy Martyrs in Aghavno will be evacuated and moved to the "Yerablur" military pantheon.

The situation in Artsakh heated up from August 1. The Artsakh Republic President Arayik Harutyunyan stated at the meeting of the Security Council convened on August 2 that Azerbaijan through peacekeepers demanded to set up the corridor connecting Artsakh with Armenia by a new route. The next day the Azerbaijani side roughly violated the ceasefire regime and opened fire at the combat positions of the Defense Forces and the permanent deployment of one of the military units with the use of mortars, grenade launchers and assault rifles. On the Armenian side 2 casualties and 19 wounded. Already on August 5 the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Artsakh Hayk Khanumyan stated to the habitants of Aghavno and Berdzor that they should leave their houses till August 25.

It should be mentioned that point 6 of the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020 says that in three years' time a new alternative road will be built to connect Artsakh with Armenia. Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan said on August 4 that the work on the construction of the Lachin corridor alternative road has already begun and will be completed by spring. Azerbaijan has built a 30-kilometer section of the road, which should connect with the road built by the Armenian side. Russian peacekeepers will be stationed on a 5-kilometer section of the new route.

Alex Jidarian: