Targeting of Religious Sites Is Registered as a War Crime: Armenian Foreign Ministry

The Armenian Foreign Ministry has issued a statement regarding the targeting of religious sites and cultural monuments in Shushi.

On October 8, the armed forces of Azerbaijan launched aerial strikes on the Cathedral of the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots, a gem of Armenian architecture located in the center of the cultural capital of Artsakh, Shushi, causing significant destruction to it. This marks yet another crime by the Azerbaijani political-military leadership, revealing its inhumane nature. Moreover, this act fully fits into the decades-long policy of hatred against Armenians.

Azerbaijan, which has completely obliterated Armenian cultural heritage in Nakhijevan and other parts of the historical homeland of the Armenian people, is now trying to deprive the Armenians of Artsakh of their home and historical memory as part of its military aggression unleashed against Artsakh.

In these actions, Azerbaijan is directly mirroring the tactics of its contemporary allies—internationally recognized terrorist organizations—which have resulted in the destruction of numerous historical and cultural monuments in the Middle East.

We strongly condemn this monstrous crime of Azerbaijan, which simultaneously poses a challenge to all of civilized humanity.

On this occasion, we remind the Azerbaijani political-military leadership that the targeting of religious sites and cultural monuments is enshrined in international humanitarian law as a war crime, for which there is no statute of limitations.