Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Appeals to OSCE Minsk Group Regarding Azerbaijan's Initiative to Erase Armenian Traces in Artsakh

Recently, Azerbaijani authorities, represented by the Minister of Culture, have made yet another anti-Armenian initiative. According to the minister's statement, a working group of local and foreign experts has been formed in Azerbaijan with the aim of, so-called, removing 'false traces left by Armenians' from the region's religious sites.

This was announced by the information system of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. 'The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin strongly condemns this initiative by the Azerbaijani authorities and characterizes it as an anti-human and anti-civilizational act that highlights the continuous enmity and hatred toward Armenia, Artsakh, and the Armenian people.

The Armenian identity of the Christian sacred sites in Artsakh, which have come under Azerbaijan's control, is a scientifically established fact and cannot be a subject of dispute within the bounds of rational and objective thinking.

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin appeals to all countries involved in the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, first and foremost to the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, sister churches, religious organizations, and international specialized institutions to firmly respond to this blatant act of cultural genocide perpetrated by Azerbaijan and to halt and prevent acts of vandalism of this kind,' the statement reads.