“We must do everything to ensure that the issue of Artsakh remains open and strive to return to our roots,” said Lernik Hovhannisyan, chairman of the diocesan council of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, during a meeting with the people of Artsakh yesterday.
He mentioned that they have established an office focused on the historical and cultural heritage of Artsakh. “It is true that we were subjected to ethnic cleansing and deportation, but our roots remain there in the form of our churches, khachkars, and historical and cultural heritage.
We frequently see cases of destruction and desecration of our monuments in Artsakh on social networks and in the media. This will continue unless we raise these issues daily. This office aims to coordinate these efforts. We are working in this direction every day. Not a week goes by that I don’t send a report to one or another international organization involved in the preservation of monuments in conflict zones.
Another important direction is foreign policy. Today, there is an international consensus: no one denies that the people of Artsakh should return, but the question remains how and with what guarantees? Currently, the authorities of Armenia create many obstacles for the activities of the elected National Assembly of Artsakh, and the Diocese of Artsakh is effectively the only legitimate body. Therefore, we should focus our efforts around the Diocese of Artsakh to assert our rights,” he said.
Read also
Lernik Hovhannisyan also informed that various structures operating in the Diaspora are filing lawsuits against Azerbaijan. For instance, a lawsuit has been submitted to the International Criminal Court to prosecute Ilham Aliyev. “You might ask, what’s the use of that? When we met with Luis Moreno Ocampo, the founder of the International Criminal Court, in Beirut, he advised: ‘Now is the time for you to collect documents. You need to gather international legal documentation. If the door is closed to you, enter through the window, but speak up every day, fight every day,'” he said.
Roza Hovhannisyan
