Etchmiadzin Calls Destruction of Churches ‘Cultural Genocide’ by Azerbaijan

The before and after of Stepanakert’s Holy Mother of God Cathedral

The Holy See of Etchmiadzin called the destruction of Armenian churches in Artsakh by Azerbaijan “cultural genocide,” and condemned the Caucasus Muslim Board for justifying the recent demolition of the Holy Mother of God Church in occupied Stepenakert.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Etchmiadzin directly responded to a statement issued by the Caucasus Muslim Board, which last week said that the recent demolition of the Stepanakert Cathedral and another, smaller, church was justified, claiming that they were built during the period of what they called “Armenian occupation of Karabakh.”

“The desecration, appropriation or destruction of holy places cannot be justified by any political, administrative or pseudo-legal wording. We reject the statement that churches built during the period of Artsakh’s independence were ‘illegally constructed.’ The destruction of holy places, razing them to the ground on this basis is a clear violation of international principles for the protection of religious and cultural heritage and a cultural genocide,” Etchmiadzin said in its statement.

“The accusation by the Caucasus Muslims Board against the Armenian Church of hindering the establishment of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan is clearly unfounded and false. Peace is hindered by the falsification of historical facts, the violation of the rights of the forcibly displaced Armenians of Artsakh, the appropriation of the Armenian heritage of Artsakh, and the systematic effort to eliminate any trace of Armenian,” the Holy See emphasized.

“The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin calls on international religious and human rights organizations, all responsible organizations for the protection of cultural heritage, to take effective steps to stop Azerbaijan’s deliberate policy of destroying Armenian culture,” the statement added.