Azerbaijan occupied Amaras Monastery, leaving no time and opportunity to save the relics – monumentwatch.org

Azerbaijan is obliged to comply with international provisions on the protection of cultural heritage in the occupied territories, reports the website monumentwatch. org, which monitors the cultural heritage of Artsakh.

“Amaras Monastery is located near Machkalashen village of Martuni region of Artsakh. After the 44-day war, as a result of the trilateral agreement of November 9, the Armenian-Azerbaijani contact line was established at a distance of 800-1000 meters from Amaras, and pilgrims used to come here accompanied by peacekeepers.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan’s attempts to seize Amaras have never stopped. Exactly 2 years ago, on September 21, 2021, the Azerbaijani military advanced their positions by 1,200 meters in the direction of the Machkalashen village and, having gained a foothold on neutral territory, installed the Azerbaijani flag at the walls of Amaras. However, the Azerbaijani flag was later removed with the mediation of the Russian peacekeeping forces.

As a result of the Azerbaijani aggression in the period from September 19 to 21, 2023, Azerbaijan occupied Amaras Monastery, leaving no time and opportunity to save the relics.

The monastery with its tangible and intangible heritage is now under the control of the enemy.

The website emphasizes that Azerbaijan is obliged to follow the international principles of protection of cultural heritage and preserve the “authenticity”, “exclusivity” and “cultural importance” of Amaras Monastery. These are principles regulated by a number of UNESCO and ICOMOS provisions.