“During construction and ‘renovation’ activities, they removed the domes of the mother cathedral, bringing it back to the same state it was in in 1992. The domes had the same appearance at the end of the 19th century as it did until they were destroyed,” My Step Deputy and the chair of the National Assembly Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, Vladimir Vardanyan, said during a session of parliament regarding Azerbaijan’s destruction of Shushi’s mother cathedral’s domes.
“They are doing this in order to eliminate the traces of the Armenian identity, to emphasize the anti-Armenian attitude, to eliminate Armenian architectural dominance, and to emphasize that Azerbaijan will not tolerate the presence of any ethnic Armenian in the region,” Vladimir Vardanyan added. He said that he will appeal to the appropriate international agencies and draft legislation on this issue.
The head of the My Step faction, Lilit Makunts, also spoke about the issue, and labeled what happened as barbarism. “They do not have a cultural history, and they are using the same approach towards the Armenian culture by attempting to erase all traces of it.”
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Ararat Mirzoyan, said, “That barbarism, treatment of prisoners of war, and the opening of that terrible park prove that the safe existence of Armenians in Artsakh within Azerbaijan’s borders is impossible, and the international community must recognize the people of Artsakh’s right to self-determination.”
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Luiza Sukiasyan
