Aggressor Armenia trying to avoid international responsibility for its crimes
The aggressor country Armenia is trying to avoid international responsibility for its crimes, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s Spokesman Hikmat Hajiyev said on March 27.
He was commenting on the recent statement of the representative of the Armenian Foreign Ministry. Hajiyev noted that as part of the military aggression and occupation policy of Armenia against Azerbaijan, a policy of vandalism – destruction, looting, appropriation, changing of the belonging and assignment of material, cultural and religious monuments – is systematically carried out in the occupied territories.
The spokesman added that the policy of destroying Azerbaijani people’s material and cultural heritage in the Armenia-occupied territories and the territory of present-day Armenia, which is the historical Azerbaijani land, is vandalism not only against the Azerbaijani people, but against the entire human civilization.
“The cases of destruction and looting of material and cultural monuments belonging to the Azerbaijani people in the occupied Azerbaijani territories have been established with precision,” Hajiyev said.
He noted that Armenia barbarously destroyed 1,891 material and cultural resources, including 738 historical monuments, 28 museums, where more than 83,500 exhibits were stored, four galleries, 14 memorial complexes and 1,107 cultural institutions in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. These are a mosque complex in the Jabrayil region dating back to the 17th century, Yukhari and Ashagi Govhar Agha mosques of the 18th century and the mosque with a clock in Shusha.
“The mosque in Agdam, dating back to the 19th century, was not only plundered, but also desecrated since cattle are kept there. Moreover, such archaeological monuments as Vagif Mausoleum, Natavan’s house, Karavansaray in Shusha were plundered and destroyed,” Hajiyev mentioned.
“Architectural features of the historical Albanian Christian churches located in the occupied Khojaly, Kalbajar, Lachin and Khojavand regions of Azerbaijan were changed and they are presented as Armenian churches,” the spokesman said, noting the Albanian Christian churches of Ganjasar and Khudavang dating back to the Middle Ages, which are located in the Kalbajar region.
He also mentioned that illegal archaeological excavations have been conducted in the Azykh Cave and around Agdam region since 2003.
Hajiyev further said that the cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people in the historical Azerbaijani lands on the territory of present-day Armenia also shares the same destiny.
“The Demirbulag Mosque in Yerevan was wiped out, and the Blue Mosque was “reconstructed” with the aim of changing its original features. The Haji Novruzali Bey Mosque, built in the second half of the 18th century, the Sardar Palace and Khan’s Palace are also among the destroyed architectural monuments,” the spokesman said.
He added that the Sardar Mosque in Yerevan also suffered a systematic destruction and was completely destroyed in 2014.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism have prepared and submitted to UNESCO, UN, OSCE, the Council of Europe, OIC, ISESCO and other international organizations reports about “the destruction of historical and cultural heritage belonging to the Islamic religion in Azerbaijan’s territories occupied by Armenia” and “the destruction of historical and cultural heritage in Azerbaijan’s territories occupied by Armenia,” Hajiyev noted.
“As a result of these activities, the OIC regularly adopts resolutions condemning the destruction and desecration of the historical and cultural heritage and temples belonging to the Islamic religion in Azerbaijan’s occupied territories,” he added.“The latest resolutions were adopted in 2015, 2016 and 2017 at a meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Kuwait, Uzbekistan and Cote d’Ivoire.”
The spokesman noted that the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism have repeatedly raised the issue on organization of assessment missions on the current situation related to material and cultural monuments in the occupied Azerbaijani territories. Armenia, which is aware of the responsibility it incurs for vandalism committed against the material and cultural heritage, hinders this in every possible way, he added.
Hajiyev also said that Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism will continue the work on informing at the international level about the facts of vandalism committed by Armenia against the historical, material and cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people in the occupied territories and territory of Armenia.