8 more Karabakh museums under Baku’s control after latest offensive

PanARMENIAN.Net - Eight Nagorno-Karabakh museums have totally or partially come under the control of Azerbaijan in the wake of its large-scale attack and full seizure of Karabakh (Artsakh) in September, the Artsakh State Council for the Protection of Cultural Heritage reported on Sunday.

Among said institutions are the Artsakh State Museum of History and Geology, Martakert Geological Museum, Askeran Geological Museum and Matenadaran's Gandzasar branch.

As many as ten museums with 17,070 exhibits in Shushi and Hadrut regions came under Azerbaijan’s control following the 44-day war in 2020.

On September 19, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, which left hundreds of Armenians killed and thousands of others displaced. On September 20, the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh agreed to a ceasefire on Azerbaijan’s terms, including the dissolution of the Defense Army. On September 18, President of the Republic of Artsakh Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree, according to which the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) will cease to exist by January 1, 2024. Over 100,000 displaced residents have already fled Nagorno-Karabakh and reached Armenia.