From 2020 to the present, if we count all types of vandalism in Artsakh, the threshold has crossed one thousand; we have about seven completely destroyed churches. Ombudsman for the cultural heritage of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), Hovik Avanesov, on Monday stated this during a discussion.

According to him, about ten Armenian villages in Artsakh have been completely destroyed, about the same number has been partially destroyed, and the monumental heritage of Artsakh capital Stepanakert, including residential districts, has also been completely destroyed by Azerbaijan.

“In the recent period, Azerbaijan’s application to Interpol has also been added to these problems. Our important emphasis here should be that, first of all, Interpol does not have such a toolkit and does not even have the right to interfere with cultural heritage, especially religious issues. In addition, from the point of view of international law, organizing the evacuation of cultural heritage from conflict zones does not contain any element of crime. Our task is to show all the facts to the international community that the real face of Azerbaijan is this, that the entire [Armenian] heritage [of Artsakh] is being destroyed, that any cultural treasure located there is under the threat of complete destruction [by Azerbaijan].

Through our platform, we will soon send an official letter to Interpol to clarify on what basis Interpol is trying to go through such a process, violating its charter, violating international law. Who or on what basis conducted the relevant examination, which became the basis for registration in the database, or whether it was registered in the database or not, because it is not ruled out that Azerbaijan may be trying to carry out a false campaign, including using the standing of Interpol," Avanesov said.

The next important task, according to him, is preserving the Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh.

“After the forced deportation [Artsakh Armenians], the [Armenian] cultural heritage of Artsakh is facing a most serious threat. We have dialects, national traditions that are in danger of extinction. Here we must advance the task of compact settlement of Artsakh residents. This makes it possible to preserve the [Artsakh Armenian] cultural heritage. I think after this meeting, it is worth issuing a statement or some text on behalf of all participants, addressed to external actors and, of course, the RA [i.e. Republic of Armenia] authorities, pointing out all these problems and also setting certain demands.

Only by standing up for our [Artsakh Armenian] cultural heritage, by being demanding, can we curb Azerbaijan’s ‘appetite.’

I would like Armenia’s statesmen to refrain from making such statements that would give a ‘green light’ to Azerbaijan. When we studied the dynamics of all cases of vandalism, the most large-scale cases were recorded after such statements, illegal visits of international delegations to Artsakh," Avanesov said.

He noted that Armenians should not wait for Azerbaijan to implement any other process regarding Armenian cultural heritage.

"We must take proactive actions and present our [Artsakh Armenian] cultural heritage and its true history to the international community by all possible means. Unfortunately, today caviar [diplomacy], oil, [regional] communications are preferred over the fundamental values of a person, whether it is related to life, living in the homeland, collective return, or cultural heritage," added the ombudsman for the cultural heritage of Artsakh.