Azerbaijan Desecrates Armenian Graves in Nagorno-Karabakh, Says Armenia's Ambassador in Belgium

Azerbaijan is desecrating graves of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and has begun to destroy religious monuments belonging to the region's former Armenian population. Tigran Balayan, Armenia's Ambassador in Belgium and head of the Armenian Mission to the European Union, stated this in an interview with Brussels Signal, adding that the Armenian side has numerous videos and photographic evidence of how Azerbaijanis are destroying cemeteries and churches in Armenian villages.

Balayan mentioned that his native village's church has also been destroyed as a result of the vandalism. Azerbaijan has also removed Armenian symbols from larger buildings. “All crosses from every Armenian church in Nagorno-Karabakh have been taken down by occupying soldiers,” he said.

The Belgian media noted that Balayan’s claims sharply contradict statements made by Azerbaijani officials in recent weeks, and added that tensions between the two Caucasian countries flared again after clashes at the border resulted in the deaths of four Armenian servicemen.

In the interview with Brussels Signal, Azerbaijani presidential representative Elchin Amirbayov, in turn, claimed that his country is committed to protecting the rights of ethnic Armenians in the disputed territory and stated that Azerbaijan would welcome the return of ethnic Armenians who have left the region, describing them as citizens of Azerbaijan, just like representatives of other ethnic minorities in the country.

According to Balayan, Azerbaijan has actually been working to prevent the return of ethnic Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh and has pursued a policy of ethnic cleansing against the Armenian population. “There have been attempts by certain individuals to return, but they have been rejected by Azerbaijan,” said the Ambassador of Armenia in Belgium and the head of the Armenian Mission to the European Union.