YEREVAN. – The systematic destruction of the Armenian heritage in the occupied territories is like a civilizational revenge against the Armenians in general. Secretary General of the Armenian National Commission for UNESCO, Arman Khachatryan, told this to reporters.

The issue has been raised by the aforesaid commission since September 28, 2020.

According to Khachatryan, Baku claims that the Armenian churches in question are supposedly Albanian, but it is obvious that these churches have nothing to do with Azerbaijan.

He recalled that after the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war in Fall 2020, the UNESCO executive director sent a mission to Karabakh. "This proposal has been approved by Armenia, Karabakh and the international community, but Azerbaijan is trying in every way to hinder the implementation of this initiative," Khachatryan added.

He stressed the importance of applying the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

In his turn, Gagik Gyurjyan, head of the “ICOMOS/Armenia” NGO, noted that not only UNESCO, but also other organizations and conventions to which both Armenia and Azerbaijan have joined should be engaged in resolving this problem.