Valerie Boyer condemns destruction of Artsakh`s cultural heritage by  Azerbaijan

ArmInfo.  French National Assembly member Valerie Boyer condemned the destruction of Artsakh's cultural heritage by Azerbaijan and the international community's silence.

"I remember my numerous visits to Artsakh, to Stepanakert, and the  faces of the displaced Armenian people. Azerbaijan's destruction of  the Armenian Genocide memorial bell tower is yet another act of  memory erasure. International silence is shameful," the French member  of parliament wrote on her Facebook page.

Earlier, it was reported that Azerbaijani occupation forces destroyed  a monument dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian  Genocide, located in the Stepanakert Memorial Complex. The white  marble bell tower, which housed a reliquary containing human remains  brought from Deir ez-Zor, held particular symbolic significance. Deir  ez-Zor symbolized the tragic culmination of the genocide, the site  where hundreds of thousands of Armenians were subjected to mass  murder, forced deportations, and death marches.

After the occupation of Artsakh, Azerbaijan completely destroyed or  significantly damaged the following cultural and religious sites. The  Kanach Jam (Surb Hovhannes Mkrtich) Church in Shushi was completely  destroyed in April 2024, the Ghazanchetsots Cemetery in Shushi was  completely destroyed, the village of Karintak was completely  bulldozed, and monuments and busts in Stepanakert were dismantled,  including those to Charles Aznavour, Hovhannes Aivazovsky, Hovhannes  Tumanyan, and Marshal Baghramyan. The Marshal Khudyakov Museum in the  village of Mets Tager was destroyed. Today, approximately 4,000  Armenian cultural sites remain under Azerbaijani control, including  more than 370 churches and 119 ancient fortresses.