Azerbaijan Razes Entire Historic Center of Stepanakert

STEPANAKERT — In October, the Azerbaijani administration in Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, demolished the historic center of the city, according to a Facebook post by former Karabakh Minister of Culture, Youth, and Tourism, Sergey Shahverdyan.

“More than 6.5 hectares of residential buildings, including historic structures, a Soviet-era apartment building, and public buildings, were razed to the ground,” Shahverdyan stated.

He attached a map based on a video released yesterday, filmed from a modern residential building housing employees of the Azerbaijani National Security Ministry.

“This video was released with the intent to demoralize the people of Artsakh (Karabakh), stripping us of the will and hope to return. The urgency of the destruction may indicate something is happening behind the scenes internationally, which we are unaware of,” Shahverdyan added.

Following the signing of the November 9, 2020 statement by the leaders of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan, which marked the cessation of hostilities in Artsakh, the Armenian side repeatedly voiced concerns about the safety of churches and other cultural and historical monuments in territories now controlled by Azerbaijan.

Yerevan hoped for the involvement of Russia and UNESCO in preventing acts of vandalism and the destruction of Christian shrines. However, UNESCO has yet to receive permission from Azerbaijani authorities to visit the occupied territories of Artsakh.