Announcements
We strongly condemn the destruction of the Holy Mother of God Cathedral in Stepanakert, currently under Azerbaijani occupation. This act represents state-level vandalism and yet another manifestation of cultural genocide.
At the same time, we condemn the complicit silence of Yerevan and its short-sighted policy of failing to undertake legal measures, thereby helping conceal Azerbaijan’s crimes and denationalize domestic public discourse.
Let it be clearly stated to the world that the destruction of this Christian house of worship is a deliberate attack on the Armenian civilizational presence, the historical and cultural memory of Artsakh, and the tangible expressions of identity of Armenians forcibly displaced from their homeland.
Once again, Azerbaijan demonstrates that its occupation of Artsakh is not merely about territorial control, but also about an agenda of ethno-cultural reengineering, historical revisionism, and the erasure of the Armenian civilizational footprint.
The destruction of the church in Stepanakert is a continuation of Azerbaijan’s fascist policies, including the forced displacement of the Armenian population of Artsakh, the illegal detention of captured persons, the desecration of spiritual and cultural heritage, the renaming of toponyms, and the blatant disregard for norms of international law.
The silence—or merely formal responses—of the international community encourages the criminal behavior of vandals. When the destruction of civilizational heritage goes unpunished, it turns into a political tool used to prepare new acts of aggression.
We call on UNESCO, international cultural institutions, human rights organizations, and responsible states to:
– immediately document the crime committed,
– demand the entry of an international monitoring mission into the occupied territories of Artsakh,
– apply targeted political and legal pressure mechanisms against Azerbaijan,
– recognize that the destruction of Armenian heritage is an inhumane act that obstructs stable, long-term, just, and comprehensive peacebuilding in the region.
The war against Armenian heritage in Artsakh continues. In this case, silence is not neutrality, nor is it a symbolic step toward a misguided vision of peace; it is participation in the political legitimization of a crime.
