Historians and activists have called on Armenian authorities to resist the destruction of cultural heritage in Karabakh.

The Armenian authorities must oppose the destruction of the Armenian cultural and historical heritage in Karabakh and draw the attention of international organizations to its fate, activists and historians said on International Cultural Heritage Day.

As "Caucasian Knot" reported, Karabakh historians and activists have repeatedly reported on the destruction of historical buildings and memorial structures in the region by the Azerbaijani authorities. Thus, in December 2025, a video appeared on Azerbaijani social media showing the destruction inside the Yerits Mankants Monastery, and satellite images showed the destruction of the Holy Savior Monastery. Historians called on the international community to respond to the destruction of Armenian monuments. Christian monuments in Azerbaijan are protected by the state, Azerbaijani experts insist.

On April 18, on the occasion of International Day for Monuments and Sites, the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Cultural Heritage Ombudsman, historian Hovik Avanesov, called in a live broadcast on the department's official Facebook page* to "take practical steps to ensure the preservation of the remaining monuments in Artsakh and Nakhichevan."

"The Azerbaijani government has destroyed almost 100% of the Armenian historical monuments in Nakhichevan. The same fate awaits Artsakh," he believes.

According to him, such a policy cannot be called random or localized – it is planned, systemic, and aimed at the complete destruction of cultural heritage. "The deliberate destruction of cultural values, the distortion of history, and attempts to appropriate heritage contradict all the principles of the civilized world. "When one state consistently destroys cultural property, this characterizes its attitude not only toward other peoples, but also toward world civilization as a whole," the ombudsman said.

Avanesov stated that "it is necessary to document, evaluate, and present at international forums all cases of the destruction of cultural monuments in Artsakh and Nakhichevan, ensuring their legal and professional assessment."

The historian noted that "on April 18, the world celebrates International Day for Monuments and Sites, which was established at the initiative of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and approved at the 22nd General Conference of UNESCO in 1983."

"Today, more than ever, it is necessary for international structures and the professional community to take a principled position. The destruction of cultural heritage cannot be viewed as part of a political dispute—it is a crime against humanity that requires a clear response and preventive mechanisms," Ovik stated. Avanesov.

The St. Jacob Church in Stepanakert, built in 2007, has been completely destroyed.

He added that "the cultural heritage of Artsakh is an integral part of universal civilization - churches, monasteries, khachkars (cross stones), fortresses, and settlements created over the centuries are not only evidence of Armenian identity, but also represent global cultural treasures."

The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Artsakh) is an unrecognized state in a territory that for several decades was the scene of interethnic clashes and conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In the fall of 1991, the NKR declared its independence. On September 19-20, 2023, Azerbaijan carried out large-scale military operations and took control of the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which began a mass exodus of the Armenian population. By October 7, In 2023, 100,632 internally displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh arrived in Armenia, and by September 2024, only 14 Armenians remained in the region. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report "The Beginning and End of the Unrecognized Republic of Artsakh".

Avanesov reported that "it recently became known that "the Church of St. Jacob in Stepanakert, built in 2007, was completely destroyed; it was previously recorded that the Church of St. John the Baptist in Shushi, the Church in Tandzatap, the Church of St. Sargis in the village of Mokhrenes, the Church of the Holy Ascension in Berdzor, the Church of Zoravor Surb Astvatsatsin in Mekhakavan and many other shrines were completely destroyed."

"Monitoring of social networks and mass media reveals "This is not just another case of vandalism, but a systemic, targeted, and cynical policy of official Baku, the essence of which is the consistent implementation of a program to liquidate the Armenian spiritual, historical, and cultural heritage, striving to erase the memory of their existence," Avanesov concluded.

On the occasion of the "International Day for Monuments and Sites," the Office of the Ombudsman for Cultural Heritage Artsakh, the Artsakh Culture and Tourism Development Agency NGO, the Kachar Scientific Center NGO, and the National Historical and Cultural Society NGO issued a statement noting that “the actions of the Azerbaijani authorities have long gone beyond isolated acts of vandalism or damage, but have turned into a holistic strategy, the key goal of which is the complete destruction of the Armenian civilizational presence in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), Armenian identity, and the rewriting of the history of the region.”

The authors of the statement demanded that international organizations immediately conduct independent fact-finding missions in the territories of Artsakh, that UNESCO and other specialized structures provide a clear and targeted response, that states and international organizations apply political and legal mechanisms against Azerbaijan, and that the authorities of the Republic of Armenia consistently raise the issue of Azerbaijan’s actions towards the cultural heritage in Artsakh at all international platforms and take systemic steps aimed at preserving and protecting the civilizational heritage of Artsakh and ensuring its protection. through international legal mechanisms.

The authorities of the Republic of Armenia are not raising these issues at the proper level.

The head of the Artsakh Culture and Tourism Development Agency, Sergey Shahverdyan, stated that "the policy of the Azerbaijani side towards the Armenian monuments of Artsakh has all the hallmarks of cultural genocide - the destruction of the cultural identity, memory, and heritage of an entire people."

"We are forced to state: the authorities of the Republic of Armenia are not raising these issues at the proper level, and the international community continues to remain silent, effectively becoming complicit in what is happening," Shahverdyan noted.