After declaring the Armenian Gandzasar and Dadivank monasteries in Nagorno-Karabakh as the heritage of “Caucasian Albania,” Azerbaijan now accuses the Armenian side of transporting frescoes, khachkars (cross-stones), and other cultural values from Dadivank to Armenia, reports RFE/RL.

Sabina Hajiyeva, Head of the State Service for the Protection, Development and Restoration of Cultural Heritage of Azerbaijan, stated that information about the frescoes and khachkars removed from Dadivank was transferred to Interpol in October 2025, and they were put in the “Stolen Works of Art” database.

As per the Azerbaijani official, during the withdrawal of Armenian forces from Kelbajar after the 2020 war, crosses, bells, and some frescoes were relocated from Dadivank to Armenia. Also, Hajiyeva accused the Armenian side of presenting them abroad as works of Armenian art.

In addition, Azerbaijan questions the restoration work carried out by the Armenian side in Dadivank. According to Hajiyeva, from 1997 to 2011, work was carried out in monastery with the funds of Armenia and the Armenian Apostolic Church, and since 2014, also on the frescoes. The Azerbaijani official presented them as a work that changed the original appearance of the monastery.