2025
2025
2025-09-25
Baku continues to praise its proclaimed multiculturalism and tolerance, pointing to the “restoration” of an Armenian church in Shushi. This could even be seen as a notable “step forward,” since Azerbaijani authorities implicitly acknowledge that Armenian monuments exist in Artsakh and they have not yet been “Albanized.”
On September 24, the 5th meeting dedicated to the 5th anniversary of the Memorial Day of Religious Confessions in Azerbaijan was held. Among the participants was Allahshukur Pashazade, head of the Caucasus Muslim Board, who has repeatedly stood out for his anti-Armenian rhetoric and denial of Armenia’s religious and cultural heritage.
“Our state, which has preserved the Armenian church in the center of Baku, is now restoring not only our mosques in Shusha, but also the Orthodox and Armenian churches. This is the multicultural policy and moral superiority of the Azerbaijani people and the Azerbaijani state,” said Pashazade.
It is worth reminding Allahshukur Pashazade, head of the Caucasus Muslim Board, about the Armenian churches built in the 1990s and afterwards, as well as public buildings, erected khachkars and monuments, and even cemeteries, all of which Azerbaijan has been systematically destroying since the 2020 war. Through this policy, Baku seeks to erase the centuries-old Armenian presence in Artsakh, while forcibly appropriating medieval structures under the label of “Albanian.”
Allahshukur Pashazade, head of the Caucasus Muslim Board, should be reminded of the Armenian churches built in the 1990s and thereafter, as well as public buildings, erected khachkars and monuments, and cemeteries, all of which Azerbaijan has been systematically destroying since the 2020 war. Through these actions, Baku seeks to erase the centuries-old Armenian presence in Artsakh, while forcibly appropriating medieval monuments under the guise of “Albanian” heritage.
But let us return to the “Orthodox and Armenian churches” in Shushi that Azerbaijan claims to be “restoring.” This raises the question: who destroyed or damaged these “Orthodox” and Armenian churches that necessitate restoration?
The church designated as “Orthodox” is the Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist, also known as the Green Chapel (Kanach Zham), which was completely intact at the time of Shushi’s capture but was thoroughly destroyed shortly afterward by Azerbaijan. The Armenian church is the Ghazanchetsots Holy Savior Church, which was targeted twice in October 2020 by long-range missiles. The damaged church has remained covered with construction netting for an extended period, and it is unclear what alterations or distortions it may have undergone.
The fact that Azerbaijan continues to systematically destroy Armenian cultural heritage has been documented through both satellite imagery and reports by international human rights organizations. On August 29, 2025, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released an updated report, once again noting that Armenian heritage remains under threat of destruction. The commission recommended that the U.S. government support visits by independent international observers to Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding areas to inspect and document the region’s religious and cultural heritage.
Azerbaijan’s policy resembles that of the Turkish authorities, who “restored” the Church of the Holy Cross on Akhtamar after hundreds of churches had already been destroyed or converted into mosques.
Armenian architecture is distinguished by its uniqueness, historical roots, and artistic value. Even if Azerbaijan claims to be “restoring” Armenian churches, such efforts would merely serve once again to “manipulate the international community”
Is this what Pashazade calls “moral superiority”?