Holy See of Echmiadzin responds to  attacks of  Caucasus Muslim  Council

ArmInfo.The Holy See of Echmiadzin has issued a statement strongly condemning the statement of the Caucasus Muslim Council, which attempts to justify the demolition of the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage of Artsakh  by the Azerbaijani authorities, in particular the complete  destruction of the Holy Mother of God Cathedral in Stepanakert.

 "The desecration, appropriation, or destruction of holy sites cannot  be justified by any political, administrative, or pseudo-legal  formulations. Qualifying churches built during the period of  Artsakh's independence as 'illegal structures' is unacceptable, and  the destruction and demolition of holy sites on this basis is a clear  violation of international principles for the protection of religious  and cultural heritage and constitutes cultural genocide," the  Armenian Apostolic Church said in a statement released by its press  office.

It also emphasizes that the Caucasus Muslim Council's accusation  against the Armenian Church of hindering the peace process between  Armenia and Azerbaijan is clearly unfounded and false.

"Peace is being hampered by the falsification of historical truth,  the violation of the rights of forcibly displaced Armenians of  Artsakh, the appropriation of Artsakh's Armenian heritage, and the  systematic erasure of the Armenian trace. Mother See of Etchmiadzin  calls on international religious and human rights organizations, as  well as all responsible bodies for the protection of cultural  heritage, to take effective measures to end Azerbaijan's planned  policy of destroying Armenian culture," the Armenian Apostolic Church  concluded.

It is worth noting that at a briefing on April 30, Armenian Prime  Minister Nikol Pashinyan justified Azerbaijan's destruction of  Armenian churches in occupied Artsakh.