The recent statement by the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, Anar Kerimov, is evidence of an attempt to destroy the traces of the presence of the Armenian people in Nagorno-Karabakh, in their historical homeland, said Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan, referring to the statement of the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan on the creation of a working group to change the identity of Armenian religious, historical and cultural monuments that were under the control of Baku.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has already issued a corresponding statement, the FM added.

“And in this statement, we strongly condemned this approach. Here, the assertions that such steps can become part of the policy of Armenophobia and ethnic cleansing, which have been going on for many years, are very true. I can only say that this is a challenge to the International Court of Justice and the decision of the Court of December 7, 2021,” Mirzoyan said.

In particular, the International Court of Justice demanded from Azerbaijan to prevent and suppress all possible acts of vandalism and desecration of the Armenian cultural heritage, including churches and other places of worship, as well as monuments, landmarks, cemeteries and artifacts.

The Foreign Minister noted that the intervention of UNESCO in this case becomes mandatory

“Armenia welcomed the intention to send a UNESCO mission to the region to assess the state of cultural values ​​in Nagorno-Karabakh. On February 4, Armenia and Azerbaijan exchanged views on this issue. There is no specific date yet, but the parties confirmed the importance of such a visit to the region. And now, after this statement, we turn to UNESCO and plan meetings to discuss this issue. In our opinion, this visit should take place in accordance with the principles of the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict,” the FM concluded.