Azerbaijan removed the dome of St. Ghazanchetsots Church in Shushi under the pretext of, so-called, ‘renovation works’ in order to distort the Armenian architectural appearance of the church. Baku, violating UN Security Council Resolution 2347, puts forward anti-scientific theses on the ‘Albanization’ of the Armenian churches in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). What is the reaction of the Russian side as an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair? To this question of ‘Lurer’ Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman answered that the preservation of the historical-cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent territories is being regularly discussed in contacts of the Russian side with both official Baku and official Yerevan.
“In particular, it has been discussed during Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov’s working visits to Armenia and Azerbaijan in early May. We support quick organization of UNESCO mission in the region, are working within the frames of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, and the statement made by the Co-Chairs this year on April 13 says: “Protection and preservation of religious and cultural heritage is in the list of those issues which requires additional efforts by Azerbaijan and Armenia,”” Maria Zakharova said.
