The statement of the head of the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan according to which the Islamic architectural monuments in the territory of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic are being used for military purposes is inaccurate and is another ungrounded allegation that is part of the falsehood and distortion of the Azerbaijani side. This is stated in the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

The clarification of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic also reads as follows:

“Azerbaijan, which has rich experience in using religious monuments for military purposes, evidence of which is the conversion of the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral of Shushi into a military reserve in 1992, is trying once again to ascribe its line of conduct to the Karabakh side.

There are several irrefutable proofs that the Azerbaijani government is consistently and purposefully eliminating objects of Armenian cultural heritage not only in the entire territory of Azerbaijan, but also in the occupied Shahumyan region of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

The most scandalous act of vandalism is the eradication of the cemetery of medieval Armenian cross-stones located near the city of Djugha (Djulfa) in Nakhichevan and the construction of a shooting range in the same area in 2005. Despite the several calls of the international community, the Azerbaijani side, aspiring to avoid taking responsibility, continues to prohibit international experts from visiting the site where the cemetery of cross-stones is located.

If the Azerbaijani authorities are truly interested in the mission to examine historic and cultural monuments and are not pursuing merely political or propagandistic goals, we have the right to expect to see the mission begin with visits to the occupied Shahumyan region of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and to Nakhichevan.

At the same time, we deem it necessary to state that all the architectural monuments located in the territory of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, irrespective of origin, are included in the state list of immovable monuments of history and culture of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and are under the protection of the state.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has been and still is open to international cooperation for the protection and preservation of cultural and historical heritage, and expects the same line of conduct from Azerbaijan.