US Accuses Azerbaijan of Destroying Armenian Spiritual Heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh

The U.S. State Department has released the 2022 report on religious freedom by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Azerbaijan has been included in the list of countries under special monitoring. This was reported by the Artsakhpress news agency.

According to the report, the state of religious freedom in Azerbaijan showed negative dynamics in 2022.

The document mentions the destruction of Armenian spiritual heritage by Azerbaijan in the areas of Nagorno-Karabakh that have come under Baku's control. 'International bodies and other organizations continue to question the Azerbaijani government's willingness to protect and preserve the religious and cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent areas under its control,' the report states.

In February, former Culture Minister Anar Karimov announced the creation of a working group aimed at removing Armenian Apostolic inscriptions from churches, which he referred to as 'unreal.' It seems that the government abandoned this plan following international outrage, and in March, the European Parliament condemned Azerbaijan’s ongoing policy of erasing and denying Armenian cultural heritage in and around Nagorno-Karabakh.

USCIRF advises the U.S. government to 'provide funding to the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Embassy in Baku for the restoration, preservation, and protection of worship places and other religious or cultural sites in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions.'