he Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin strongly condemns the statement of the Caucasus Muslims Board, which attempts to justify the destruction of the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) by the Azerbaijani authorities; in particular, the complete destruction of the Holy Mother of God church in Stepanakert, the Mother See has noted in a statement.

The statement adds as follows: "The desecration, appropriation or destruction of holy places cannot be justified by any political, administrative or pseudo-legal wording. The qualification of churches built during the period of Artsakh's independence as ‘illegal construction’ is rejectable, and the destruction of holy places, razing them to the ground on this basis is a clear violation of international principles for the protection of religious and cultural heritage and a cultural genocide.

The accusation of the Caucasus Muslims Board against the Armenian Church of hindering the establishment of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan is clearly unfounded and false. Peace is hindered by the falsification of historical truth, the violation of the rights of the forcibly displaced Armenians of Artsakh, the appropriation of the Armenian heritage of Artsakh, and the consistent elimination of the Armenian trace.

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin calls on international religious and human rights organizations, all responsible organizations for the protection of cultural heritage, to take effective steps to stop Azerbaijan’s planned policy of destroying Armenian culture.”