Azerbaijan destroyed the 18-19th century Saint Sarkis Armenian Church in the village of Mokhrenis, occupied Hadrut region, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin said in a statement.
It said that the total destruction is seen on satellite images published by the Caucasus Heritage Watch research initiative of the US Cornell University.
“Azerbaijan’s encroachments and barbaric actions against Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage are still happening in the post-war period, just like during the Second Artsakh War”, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin said.
The Armenian Church said it strongly condemns the cultural genocide continuously implemented by Azerbaijan which seeks to deprive Artsakh from any evidence of its historical Armenian identity. It warned that Azerbaijan’s policy aims to deepen the atmosphere of hate and intolerance between nations and does not contribute to re-establishing lasting peace in the region.
The Armenian Church called on the international community and organizations to give a clear assessment to this crime and take practical actions to save the Armenian spiritual-cultural historic heritage in territories which are under Azerbaijani control.
