Baroness Cox expresses 'deep concern' about fate of Armenian churches in Azerbaijani-held areas

Baroness Cox has shared her “deep concern” about the threat to Armenian churches from Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), Barnabas Fund reports.

In an open letter, Baroness Cox – a patron of Barnabas Fund – points to the intention of Azerbaijan to remove symbols of Armenian Christian heritage.

This includes, she writes, “161 churches, including the historic monastery at Dadivank, Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi, the ancient city of Tigranakert, Azokh Paleolithic Cave and the Nor Karmiravan tombs”.

In February 2022 Azerbaijan set up a new working group to “remove fictitious traces written by Armenians on Albanian religious temples”.

Azerbaijan denies the existence of Armenian Christian sites in Nagorno-Karabakh, arguing falsely that the sites belong to a group known as “Caucasian Albanians”, a theory not supported by historians.

"This is historical revisionism – a campaign of appropriation that dates back to the 1950s, whereby Azerbaijani authorities continue to rewrite history and replace the word ‘Armenia / Armenian’ with ‘Caucasian Albania / Caucasian Albanian’," Baroness Cox said, stressing the destruction of cultural and religious heritage is a war crime under international law.