The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh has issued a statement regarding Azerbaijan’s targeting of the Holy Ghazanchetsots Church in Shushi, which we present below.
“We strongly condemn the attack by Azerbaijan’s armed forces on the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Armenian Church in the city of Shushi, Republic of Artsakh. We remind the Azerbaijani side that an attack directed against historical monuments, works of art and places of worship that constitute the cultural and spiritual heritage of peoples is a gross violation of international treaty and customary humanitarian law, and the destruction of cultural monuments during military operations is a war crime.
The deliberate destruction of historical, cultural and religious objects is the notorious hallmark characteristic of international terrorist organizations. Suffice it to recall the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas by the Taliban, as well as the destruction of the Triumphal Arch in Palmyra by the terrorists of Idlib in Syria and the Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs in Deir ez-Zor.
The attack on the Holy Savior Church of Shushi demonstrates that the criminal trilateral alliance that has unleashed aggression against the Republic of Artsakh — Azerbaijan, Turkey and terrorist organizations — is united not only by common goals, but also by a value system and criminal methods of conducting military operations.
We note once again that the preservation of cultural heritage is of great importance for all the peoples of the world, and damage caused to the cultural values of any people constitutes damage to the cultural heritage of all humanity.
In addition to the adoption of numerous international conventions on the protection of cultural and historical heritage, the issue has also been raised at the level of the UN Security Council, which in its resolution (2347) on the inadmissibility of the destruction of cultural heritage by terrorist groups, particularly in the context of armed conflicts, called on all states to wage a collective and coordinated struggle against such practice.
We reiterate that in conditions of Azerbaijan’s blatant denial of humanity and universal values, the international recognition of the independence of the Republic of Artsakh is the most effective means of ensuring the security of the people of Artsakh, the realization of their fundamental rights, as well as the preservation of Artsakh’s cultural heritage.”
