Destruction of Armenian Khachkars: Azeri Historians Try to Revise History

PanARMENIAN.Net - Destruction of the Armenian cemetery in Old Julfa (Nakhichevan) is quite comprehensible from the point of view of Azeri historians, head of the Agency for Preservation of Historical and Cultural Monuments at the Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs of Armenia, professor of architecture Artem Grigoryan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In his words, they are now trying to revise the history and prove that Armenians did not live for centuries on territories seized by them.



According to Artem Grigoryan, systematic destruction of the material culture only shows the degree of civilization of the Azeri people. «Armenians never destroyed monuments of other peoples that lived or live in Armenia. There are no diplomatic relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as Turkey, thus we can influence these countries only via international organizations. At present we are forming an information database over Old Julfa to submit it to the European Parliament. Khachkars, naturally, cannot be returned, however we can try to save what is left - churches, other evidence of aboriginal settlement of Armenians on Nakhichevan territory,» he emphasized.



The full text of the interview can be found in Interviews section.