The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has called on the TASS news agency of Russia to apologize for using the name “Stepanakert” in its report on the demolition of the monument to sea painter Ivan Aivazovsky in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Azerbaijani MFA website reports.

The statement said that they expect TASS to make appropriate corrections. Otherwise, “appropriate measures will be taken” regarding TASS’ activities in Azerbaijan.

Also, the Azerbaijani MFA warned that if the Russian side continues to distort Azerbaijani toponyms, then in accordance with the principle of reciprocity, Azerbaijan will call various toponyms in Russia by their historical names.

The Tourism and Culture Development Agency of Karabakh reported that a monument to renowned sea painter Ivan Aivazovsky (Hovhannes Aivazian) was demolished in Stepanakert by Azerbaijan. The monument to Aivazovsky in the capital of Karabakh was installed in December 2021. It was made by Salavat Shcherbakov, who also had immortalized "a number of prominent Armenians."