To remove the cross, clean every Armenian letter and word from Armenian monuments, distort the historical past. According to architect Raffi Kortoshyan, this is Baku's anti-Armenian policy towards the Armenian cultural heritage in the occupied territories of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) after the 44-day war. Azerbaijan is trying to prepare the ground for the complete elimination of the Armenian trace in the occupied territories.
Raffi Kortoshyan (Deputy Director of Foundation for the Study of Armenian Architecture) - In particular, the Armenian inscriptions, which themselves prove the real affiliation of these structures.
The Armenian identity of the Christian sanctuaries in Artsakh is a scientifically proven fact; it cannot be disputed, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin sated condemning the activities of the Working Group of Albanian History and Architecture Specialists set up to transform the Armenian monuments in the territory under the control of Azerbaijan into Afghan.
Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan (Primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church) - This does not lead to the transformation of the Apostolic Church, but to the destruction, because clearing the inscriptions does not mean that the Armenian architecture is being destroyed.
Baku's attempts to present Armenian architecture in Albanian and Udi are a challenge not only to Armenia, the Armenian people, but also to the civilized community and international organizations. The architect recalls the verdict of The Hague Court against the actions of Azerbaijan.
Raffi Kortoshyan - If there is no verdict in the previous ones, then in this case the verdict of December 7, 2021 obliges Azerbaijan to preserve the Armenian monuments as it is. Before they start, it is necessary to contact the UN Security Council.
Before the decision of The Hague Court, both false statements were made, Kortoshyan recalls. The Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, then the President of that country, stated that Armenians had placed khachkars (cross-stones) everywhere and Armenianized the monuments. Armenian specialists soon revealed the lie.
Raffi Kortoshyan - This was done by the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan under the photo of Shahbulag Castle. It was a big lie, because those pictures were from Akhaltsikhe Castle in Georgia, 2,000 km away.
To prevent Azerbaijan's overt anti-Armenian actions, the Mother See appealed to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, sister churches, religious and international organizations to crack down on cultural vandalism to prevent such revelations.
Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan - No force can force us to leave our land, monasteries, we will stay, build and strengthen the Artsakh world.
