The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) expressed concern over Baku's plans to remove the Armenian Apostolic Church inscriptions from temples. This is stated in the official Twitter microblog of the Commission.
"USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza: “We are deeply concerned by Azerbaijan's plans to remove Armenian Apostolic inscriptions from churches. We urge the government to preserve and protect places of worship and other religious and cultural sites,” the statement reads.
Earlier, the Azerbaijani Minister of Culture announced the intention to remove Armenian traces from churches in the territories under Baku's control.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry condemned the statement, noting: “This policy of distorting the identity of the Armenian historical and cultural heritage, the destruction of religious sanctuaries, contradicts the statements of Azerbaijan to achieve reconciliation and creates serious obstacles to the establishment of local peace in the region.”
