The chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defence, MEP Nathalie Loiseau, is concerned about the preservation of Armenian heritage in those areas of Mountainous Karabakh that have been under Azerbaijani control since November 2020. The MEP wrote about this in an article published in La Croix:
Loiseau noted that since the territories came under Azerbaijani control, Armenian churches are being desecrated and destroyed, such as the Holy Mary Church of Mekhakavan, the Green Church of Shushi, or the vandalised Saint Yegishe in Mataghis. “Every day monuments or graves are being destroyed. There is every reason to fear that this destruction will continue and gain momentum,” wrote the European Parliament member, recalling the destruction of Armenian churches and tombstones in Nakhichevan and the complete razing of the Armenian cemetery of Old Jugha:
In her assessment, the statements made today by high-ranking Azerbaijani officials already hint at what can be expected. For example, the director of the Azerbaijani Union of Architects had expressed the hope that “all the churches of Artsakh would be razed.” And President Aliyev had called for removing Armenian inscriptions from the churches, distorting history and declaring that they are “buildings of the Caucasian Albanians”:
The European Parliament member stated that in this situation the international community, instead of doing its utmost for the preservation of cultural heritage, is showing indifference. Meanwhile, an attack on a people’s cultural heritage is part of ethnic cleansing:
“To resolve the Mountainous Karabakh crisis, we must carry out more comprehensive actions and show greater determination. All prisoners must be released, all borders and exits to Karabakh must be open, and demining must be completed. All of this requires a strong international presence,” noted Loiseau, adding that the fate of this territory cannot be left in the hands of Azerbaijan, Russia and Turkey, the latter of which showed during the last conflict that it is not in favour of a balanced and peaceful settlement of the issue:
“All this takes time. But the question of Artsakh’s heritage cannot wait. I call on the Minsk Group co-chairs France, the United States and Russia to intervene with Azerbaijan. I call on the European Union to use the Eastern Partnership ties to obtain clear assurances from Baku that Armenian cultural heritage will be preserved,” wrote Loiseau. She also addressed UNESCO, calling on it not to yield to threats:
“Don’t let the churches of Mountainous Karabakh be destroyed,” concluded the European Parliament member:
