{"id":23820,"date":"2025-06-18T10:00:42","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T10:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ancnews.info\/?p=23820"},"modified":"2025-06-18T10:00:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T10:00:46","slug":"europeans-for-artsakh-convene-for-a-zoom-meeting-discuss-latest-efforts-on-protecting-artsakhs-cultural-and-religious-heritage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ancnews.info\/?p=23820","title":{"rendered":"Europeans For Artsakh convene for a Zoom meeting, discuss latest efforts on Protecting Artsakh\u2019s cultural and religious heritage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Europeans of Artsakh platform<\/strong> held its periodic meeting via Zoom on June 12, 2025<\/strong>, focused on the pressing situation of the Armenian religious and cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh and the developments of the Swiss Peace Initiative on the right of return of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. The meeting was attended by his Eminence Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan Primate of Artsakh, Lernik Hovhannisyan, Melania Balayan and Armine Aleksanyan, who presented their respective work in investigating and documenting the ongoing destruction of monuments and religious heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh. Discussions also covered the regular activities and strategic planning of the Europeans of Artsakh platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the meeting, EAFJD President Kaspar Karampetian<\/strong> provided an overview of recent activities of the EAFJD related to the sham trials of Armenian POWs held hostage in Baku, awareness campaigns of the destruction policy of Azerbaijan and the importance of the Swiss Peace initiative on the right for collective return of Artsakh Armenians under international security guarantees. It was noted that a dossier containing relevant links from these parliamentary discussions would be shared with all meeting participants by their office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 His Eminence Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan<\/strong> shared insights of the challenges facing the Artsakh diocese, emphasizing its continued existence and operations under the blessings of Catholicos Garegin II. He highlighted the ongoing monitoring efforts of an office established at Etchmiadzin, which meticulously tracks the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage attributed to the Azerbaijani government and other violations committed by the Azerbaijani military. To this end, Melania Balayan, director of the office of the Diocese,<\/strong> presented the mission and the achievements of the office, which focuses on preserving and showcasing Artsakh\u2019s cultural heritage on international platforms. Her presentation detailed several significant initiatives: The production of a compelling documentary film, an exhibition on endangered Artsakh heritage, currently displayed in Armenia with plans for international presentations, underscoring the active threats to this heritage and the completion of a comprehensive, two-volume, 1,120-page book that meticulously documents Artsakh\u2019s material cultural heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lernik Hovhannisyan, <\/strong>the President of the Diocese Council of Artsakh, provided detailed information of the extensive inventory work undertaken to catalog cultural sites. He reported that before 2020, 4,112 cultural and heritage sites had been recorded, with an additional 800-plus sites inventoried after November 2020. The comprehensive catalog now includes 435 churches, 500 cemeteries, 107 fortresses, and 2,670 khachkars. Mr. Hovhannisyan asserted that beyond heritage sites, entire Armenian villages have been systematically destroyed and replaced by new structures and highlighted the continued \u201cAlbanization\u201d works on many Armenian churches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armine Aleksanyan, <\/strong>a member of the EFA platform from Artsakh,<\/strong> elaborated on the international efforts of the Artsakh office, underscoring their commitment to keeping the issue prominent on global platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Actions Outlined by the Platform for Future Engagement:<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Europeans of Artsakh platform outlined several crucial actions for their ongoing work:<\/p>\n\n\n\n