Baku's Goal is to Implement Cultural Genocide: Former Secretary General of BSEC

Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos, the former Secretary General of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) and Greece's first ambassador to Armenia, has issued a statement concerning the threats to Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh. He emphasized that the creation of a working group by Azerbaijan in the areas captured from Artsakh aims to erase the Armenian presence in the Armenian churches and constitutes cultural fascism. The Armenian Embassy in Greece has shared the Armenian translation of the statement on its Facebook page.

In his statement, Chrysanthopoulos noted: "The establishment of a working group by Azerbaijan in the Armenian churches located in the territories captured from Artsakh as a result of the last war to erase Armenian presence represents cultural fascism. Under the pretext that these Christian churches belong to the Caucasian Albanians, this group is supposed to decide that the Armenian presence should be removed from these churches. The Caucasian Albanian Church was an autonomous church, created briefly in the fifth century, and subjected to the Armenian Apostolic Church in 705. The Albanian alphabet was created by Mesrop Mashtots, who created the Armenian alphabet in 405 and shortly after created the Albanian one. Therefore, it is impossible for the Armenian Church to use the Albanian churches to its own advantage. Baku's goal is to implement cultural genocide, and it must be condemned for this."