(MENAFN- AzerNews) By Vugar Khalilov
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has urged the international
community to condemn Armenia's acts of vandalism against
Azerbaijani cultural heritage, Azernews reports, citing the
ministry.
On October 17, the ministry issued a statement in response to
recent social media footage of extremist Armenians' destroying
Azerbaijani cemeteries.
“Video showing radical Armenians destroying graves belonging to
Azerbaijanis is spread in social media. Filmed at a cemetery near
Khankandi, the footage is yet another proof of vandalism &
destruction of Azerbaijan's heritage. Perpetrators of these hate
crimes must be held accountable!” the ministry .
These video clips, in which acts of vandalism are performed
against Azerbaijani graves with derogatory attitudes and
gravestones are smashed by trucks, are yet another glaring
indication of Armenia's long-standing strategy of destroying
Azerbaijani heritage, the ministry stressed.
Armenia has inflicted unparalleled damage on Karabakh and
neighboring territories, which it had controlled for over 30 years,
in addition to deliberately destroying the historical, cultural,
and religious legacy of Azerbaijanis, who had historically lived in
its territory.
It also destroyed historical and religious monuments and
vandalized graves in an attempt to completely eliminate Azerbaijani
traces from these areas.
Proofs of Armenia's criminal activities, including instances of
urbicide, ecocide, and culturicide, were gathered and presented to
international organizations, the ministry stressed.
Armenians, who had illegally settled in Azerbaijani territories,
inflicted severe damage on the infrastructure, monuments, and
environment while leaving these areas following the 44-day war in
2020.
“So far, no efforts have been made by Armenia's competent
institutions to prevent hate crimes and punish perpetrators. This
is due to Armenia's state-backed policy of eliminating Azerbaijani
legacy,” the ministry underlined.
It is profoundly sad that a UNESCO mission's visit to the region
was prevented during Armenia's 30-year occupation period, and the
fact-finding mission has yet to take place owing to Armenia's
destructive stance, despite Azerbaijan's invitation to the mission
after liberating its lands, it recalled.
The circulating video clips plainly demonstrate why Armenia is
opposed to the international mission's arrival in the region. These
acts of vandalism committed by extremist Armenians constitute a
setback to the fragile post-conflict normalization process between
the two countries, the statement stressed.
Azerbaijan has collected and documented the vandalism acts
depicted in videos and images and carried out appropriate
procedures to hold Armenia accountable for the massive destruction
it inflicted in the liberated territories.
The international community must not remain silent in the face
of Armenia's atrocities not just against Azerbaijan's cultural
legacy, but also against the heritage of humanity.
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