Deputies Condemn Distortions of Shushi Ghazanchetsots Church

On May 4, the National Assembly convened the regular sittings.

During the approval of the draft law of the agenda of the sixth session of the NA seventh convocation the NA deputies delivered speeches. They touched upon one of the distorted Armenian spiritual-cultural most important values - Shushi Ghazanchetsots Saint All-Saviour Church - under the veil of the so called 'repairing works' by Azerbaijan on May 3.

Vladimir Vardanyan: I cannot but touch upon the continuous barbarity which takes place in the occupied territories of Artsakh, particularly in Shushi. It refers to destroying the cupola of Saint Ghazanchetsots in the frameworks of the construction and repairing works and returning to the state of 1992. This is done by a number of distinct reasons to eliminate any small thing on the Armenian identity, to underline the Armenophobia attitude of Azerbaijan, to destroy the architectural monument, which will always be high and visible from any part, and once again stress that Azerbaijan does not want to tolerate any ethnic Armenian's presence in any way in that region.

Lilit Makunts: I also shall refer to the theme of Shushi Gjazanchetsots Church. What is organized by the leadership of Azerbaijan we can characterize as a policy of racist state, which has ethnic hatred towards Armenians. To characterize the policy of the leadership of Azerbaijan in other word than barbarity is not possible. This is a policy of a state which leaves an impression that those people have no cultural history, and with such approach they relate to the Armenian culture, trying to remove all the traces. I believe that this issue shall be at the centre of attention of all international structures. This issue also shall be at the centre of attention of the Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship in terms of further solutions, because the ethnic hatred towards cannot but have response

The NA Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan: I believe that that barbarity and the attitude towards Armenians being kept in captivity or in another status in Azerbaijan, and the opening of the disgraceful park in Baku is the regular evidence that the secure existence of the Artsakh Armenians in Azerbaijan is impossible, and the world shall recognize the right to the self-determination of the Artsakh Armenians. This is the policy and the position that we, as Republic of Armenia have, and there is no change here. We shall closely work in this direction with our international colleagues.

Taron Simonyan: What has happened in Shushi and in other occupied territories of Artsakh is the continuation of the genocidal policy, and that policy is displayed with ethnic cleansing, such attitude towards the captives, to which we have witnessed. This also once again documents that any politician in the RA, whose word is of public importance, has no right wo speak about friendly relations with Azerbaijan. It is a state which pursues such genocidal policy. We shall specify our positions and be clear before the international community, so that they will respond to the anti-Armenian policy of Azerbaijan.