The fact that Azerbaijan completely destroyed the Armenian Church of Saint Hovhannes the Baptist (Kanch Zham) in Shushi is strongly condemnable, Artsakh’s State Minister Artak Beglaryan said in a Facebook post.
According to him, under the guise of renovation, they turn the church into an Orthodox church to falsify history and eliminate Armenian traces.
During the Soviet years Kanach Zham was one of the many churches that ceased to function, but resumed activities after the reorganization of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the liberation of Shushi.
“There is reliable information about the church in various historical sources and inscriptions, which indisputably prove the fact that it is Armenian,” Beglaryan said.
He voiced hope that UNESCO and other international cultural preservation organizations will thoroughly investigate the available information about the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage and take effective measures to prevent the ongoing cultural genocide by Azerbaijan.
