Human Rights Defender of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Gegham Stepanyan has touched upon Azerbaijan’s renovation work at the Ghazanchetsots Holy Savior Cathedral in Shushi on his Facebook page. The Facebook post reads as follows:
“Azerbaijan cannot restore the cultural value of a nation, against which it has been spreading systematic hatred at the state level for years. This
Under the guise of so-called “restoration”, the Azerbaijanis distort one of the most important Armenian cultural values – the Ghazanchetsots Holy Savior Cathedral in Shushi.
In many cases, we have seen how Azerbaijan treats Armenian cultural values. It is already clear what is really being done under the name of “renovation work”. The goal is to destroy the Armenian presence and trace.
For years, Azerbaijan has pursued a state policy of albanianizing the Armenian Christian culture in Artsakh or attributing it to other nations, which has been repeatedly criticized by historians and culturologists for a simple reason: these attempts are baseless both in terms of historical chronology and cultural-architectural features.
If Azerbaijan really cares about the preservation of cultural values, “repairs” it, then the a question arises why it has not allowed an independent UNESCO expert group to visit the region.
We raise the issue of vandalism against Armenian culture by Azerbaijan on a daily basis informing the relevant international organizations about what is happening. However, the issue does not go beyond criticism or calls, while clear steps are needed.
Forgiveness and impunity are the main reasons for Azerbaijan’s reckless behavior.”
