(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 5. Restoring cultural heritage in Western Azerbaijan is an important part of the peace process, Chairman of the Western Azerbaijan Community Aziz Alakbarli told media on the sidelines of the 3rd international conference on "Cultural heritage and the right of return: restoration of the cultural heritage of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia as a path to justice, reconciliation, and peace" organized by the community today, Trend reports.

According to him, this year, more than 100 delegates from 61 countries are participating in the conference.

He noted that compatriots were expelled from Western Azerbaijan, their ancestral homeland, 37 years ago.

"During this period, our cultural heritage in Western Azerbaijan has suffered significant damage. Our cultural heritage samples have been subjected to Armenian vandalism. We have appealed to UNESCO in this regard.

As the first step after the signing of the peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia, we consider it important to bring our cultural heritage to the agenda in Western Azerbaijan," he added.

Since 1988, numerous Azerbaijani cultural monuments in present-day Armenia have been destroyed, vandalized, or had their authenticity altered. Over 300 mosques, including the Damirbulag Mosque, have been lost or compromised, while more than 500 cemeteries have been desecrated. Key historical sites like the Irevan fortress and Sardar mosque have also been demolished. Azerbaijan claims this destruction is state-sponsored, aimed at erasing its cultural presence. International organizations have acknowledged the situation and have called for a fact-finding mission by UNESCO, though this has yet to materialize due to disagreement between the involved parties.

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