Former Norwegian envoy exposes Azeri vandalism on Armenian churchNovember 23, 2020 - 18:45 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Former Norwegian ambassador to Azerbaijan Steinar Gil has responded to a post by Azerbaijan's First Deputy Minister of Culture Anar Karimov about the restoration of what he described an Albanian church in the country. Azerbaijan, in particular, "restored" the church by replacing its Armenian inscription with glass art in a settlement called Nij. According to Gil, the church was built in 1823 and belonged to the Armenian Apostolic Church. It was restored in the beginning of the century with the financial assistance of the Norwegian Humanitarian Enterprise. "In December 2004, before the restoration was finished, Armenian inscriptions on the tympanum and on tombstones outside the church were erased. At a later stage a cross was placed on the tympanum. The authorities were informed about the erasure of the inscriptions, but nobody has been brought to account for this vandalism," Gil added. Jon Ramberg, who was Gil’s successor as Norway’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, said in the comments of Gil's post that he also made several visits to the Udi community and their church in Nij. "Their representatives readily admitted to the vandalism, and at least some regretted it," he said. "Neither Steinar nor I have any other interest than trying to establish some truth in these matters. We also share the hope that the time will come when people across the borders in South Caucasus will be able to view their common history as what it is - one of constant interaction, peacefully at times, violent at others." Azerbaijanis have a record of destroying and vandalizing Armenian heritage, and if an Armenian place of worship is preserved, it is usually because they present it as a "Christian Albanian church"․ The ancient Armenian monastery of Dadivank, the ruins and the archeological site of Tigranakert, Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi and hundreds of other historic monuments will be left to Azerbaijan, under a statement on the cessation of hostilities in Karabakh. At the moment, Russian peacekeepers have been deployed to the area near Dadivank to ensure the safety of both the church and the perishoners. Azerbaijanis, meanwhile, have already destroyed the domes of Saint John the Baptist Church in the city of Shushi, which has come under Azerbaijan's control as a result of the war. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev have signed a statement to end the war in Karabakh after almost 45 days. Karabakh (Artsakh) President Arayik Harutyunyan has said he has agreed to the deal signed by Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. Armenians stage more campaigns against territorial concessions to Azerbaijan Protesters blocked more roads across Armenia on Friday, April 26 in continuing attempts to scuttle territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. |