Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Strongly Condemns Statement of the Caucasus Muslim Board
30.04.2026
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin strongly condemns the statement of the Caucasus Muslim Board, which attempts to justify the destruction by the Azerbaijani authorities of the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage of Artsakh, in particular the complete demolition of the Cathedral of Holy Mother of God (Surb Astvatsatsin) in Stepanakert.
The desecration, appropriation, or destruction of holy sites cannot be justified by any political, administrative, or pseudo-legal formulations. The characterization of churches built during the period of Artsakh’s independence as “illegal constructions” is unacceptable, and their destruction under such a pretext constitutes a blatant violation of international principles for the protection of religious and cultural heritage and amounts to an act of cultural genocide.
The accusations by the Caucasus Muslim Board against the Armenian Church of obstructing the establishment of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan are manifestly unfounded and false. Peace is undermined by the falsification of historical truth, violations of the rights of forcibly displaced Armenians of Artsakh, the appropriation of Armenian heritage, and the systematic erasure of Armenian presence.
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin calls upon international religious and human rights organizations, as well as all institutions responsible for the protection of cultural heritage, to take effective steps to halt Azerbaijan’s policy of deliberate destruction of Armenian culture.
