In the annual report of the US State Department on Religious Freedom, the section on Azerbaijan contains numerous references to the state of Armenian monuments in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). The fact of the double bombing of the Ghazanchetsots Church in Shushi during the last war was recorded. Nevertheless, according to the State Department, there was reportedly no evidence the site was used for military purposes. The State Department stressed that, at the request of the Armenian side, the Russian peacekeepers took Dadivank under their protection.
“President Aliyev’s public claim that “the churches in Kalbajar belong to the ancient Caucasian Albanian state” raised concerns among Armenians that Azerbaijan might seek to sever some religious sites’ connections with their Armenian heritage,” the report states.
The State Department pointed to the vandalism against Kanach Zham (Green Chapel) and St. Astvatsatsin Church in Mekhakavan. It is noteworthy that in the last case, the US State Department used the Armenian name Mekhakavan.
