President Ilham Aliyev has passed a law declaring the occupied Armenian city of Shushi in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) as the cultural capital of Azerbaijan.

According to Azerbaijani media, under this law, a state reserve shall be established in the administrative territory of Shushi.

This document also defines the main directions of the state development policy for the city.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan has been instructed to determine and approve the boundaries of the security zone of the Shushi State Reserve, to determine the security procedure of this security zone, and to approve—within three months—the procedure for monitoring the city's monuments.

Also, the Cabinet of Ministers shall prepare and submit proposals to the Azerbaijani president on the sources of funding for this reserve.