If we are interested in the genealogy of any manuscript or the monastery complex mentioned in the manuscript, we should turn to the manuscript and the originals. Armenia has responded by way of the most competent official on this matter—the director of the Matenadaran—and recorded the Armenian origin of Gandzasar monastery. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this in his remarks during the question-and-answer session with the government in the National Assembly of Armenia on Wednesday, referring to Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev’s recent visit to Nagorno-Karabakh with several diplomats, during which he had portrayed the Armenian cultural heritage there as “Caucasian Albanian.”

“I generally consider it pointless to talk about this topic. But I also consider it pointless to set goals if we set ourselves the task of proving this, for example, to Azerbaijan. It is a pointless and unfeasible task. But it has not changed anything and will not change anything for us [i.e. Armenia]. We must clearly separate the issues.

We have said and continue to say that the established peace is a value for both Armenia and Azerbaijan, and we must treat peace with care in both Armenia and Azerbaijan. What we saw from the [aforesaid] Azerbaijani official is unacceptable and incomprehensible, especially from this point of view. On the other hand, however, I want to record that we must continue to take care of peace,” Pashinyan said.

“Yes, we must continue to take care of peace, because it is a value for us. Today, there are many in the region for whom it is not a value. I said a month ago that it is very easy to destroy peace. We can easily destroy peace in this [parliament sessions’] hall, but then it will take us 30 years to get to this point. So, let's choose. We have made our choice,” the Armenian premier added.