Azerbaijani, Russian leaders mull protection of Christian shrines around Karabakh
By Vafa Ismayilova
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have discussed the protection of Christian shrines in the regions around Nagorno-Karabakh that Azerbaijan gets back under the trilateral peace deal signed on November 10.
In his phone conversation with Aliyev on November 14, Putin stressed the importance of preserving and ensuring the normal functioning of Christian temples and monasteries which are located in the regions that Azerbaijan obtains back under the above-mentioned document.
President Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan is a multinational and multi-confessional country, where the rights and freedoms of all peoples and representatives of all religions are fully guaranteed.
Ancient Muslim and Christian temples located on the territory of Azerbaijan are protected by the state, he said.
President Aliyev said that the Christian shrines in question will be properly protected by Azerbaijan. Christians living in Azerbaijan will be able to make use of the said temples.
The two presidents focused on practical aspects of implementation of the ceasefire deal. They hailed the fact that ceasefire is being observed and that the situation in the region is calm.
Earlier, the Organization of Islamic Conference expressed its deep concern about the condition of historical monuments in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, which were destroyed by Armenia during the occupation for about three decades.
The organization described the monuments as “an integral part of Islamic heritage”.
President Ilham Aliyev stated on November 11 that Azerbaijan is going to sue Armenia for material and moral damages that it had inflicted. Aliyev named “historical sites, old graves and mosques” among the facilities that had been completely destroyed by Armenia.
Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia signed the trilateral declaration on November 10. This declaration ended the 30-years-old conflict between Baku and Yerevan over Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region that along with the seven adjacent districts came under the occupation of Armenian armed forces in the war in the early 1990s. For nearly three decades, Armenia failed to implement the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) demanding the withdrawal of its troops, which was the main obstacle to the resolution of the conflict. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France had been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Group’s efforts resulted in no progress as Armenia refused to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions.
Under the new deal, Russian peacekeepers are deployed in the region to patrol frontlines. Turkey also takes part in the peacekeeping process. Russia and Turkey signed a deal on creating a Russian-Turkish joint ceasefire monitoring centre. It also envisages the de-occupation of Azerbaijan’s Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions by December 1 as well as the return of Azerbaijani IDPs to Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven adjacent regions under the control of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan resumed after Armenia launched large-scale attacks on Azerbaijani forces and civilians on September 27. Five Azerbaijani civilians were killed on the first day of the Armenian attacks. Ninety-three Azerbaijani civilians were killed in Armenian's indiscriminate attacks on Azerbaijani civilians. Azerbaijan launched counter-offensive operations that ended in the liberation of over 300 settlements, villages. Azerbaijan also liberated five city centres and the historic Shusha city.
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