Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev raises his country’s flag in Khankendi (the Azerbaijani name for Stepanakert) on October 15. AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENTIAL VIA AFP
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev “hoisted the national flag of Azerbaijan in the city of Khankendi (the Azerbaijani name for Stepanakert),” the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, a region recaptured from Armenian separatists in September, announced the presidency in a brief statement on Sunday Press release announced October 15th.
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This is the first time that 61-year-old Ilham Aliev has visited Nagorno-Karabakh since he came to power in 2003, succeeding his father Heydar Aliev.
Dressed in a khaki military uniform and a black T-shirt, as shown in images released by his services, the leader also raised the flag with three horizontal bands – sky blue, red, green Secret Voyage – in other places in Upper Karabakh on the occasion.
Protect places of worship
On the same day, Pope Francis appealed to preserve Nagorno-Karabakh’s religious heritage, particularly its monasteries, after the offensive by Azerbaijani forces in September led to the displacement of almost the entire Armenian population.
“Beyond the serious humanitarian situation of the displaced, I would like to launch a call for the protection of the monasteries and places of worship in the region,” said Francis after his traditional Angelus prayer on Place Saint-Pierre.
“I hope that they can be respected both by the authorities and by all residents and protected as part of the local culture, as an expression of faith and as a sign of a brotherhood that allows us to live together despite the differences,” added the sovereign Pope added.
There are several hundred churches, monasteries and tombstones from the 11th to 19th centuries in the region. With the recent exodus and departure of priests from Dadivank Monastery, said to have been founded by Saint Dadi in the early days of Christianity, uncertainty weighs on this legacy.
Our explanations: Nagorno-Karabakh: Understanding this centuries-old conflict that ignites relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia
Many places of worship are threatened
Dozens of churches, mosques and monasteries are abandoned, destroyed or at risk of destruction, according to Caucasus Heritage Watch, a project that relies on satellite images to document the architectural heritage of the Caucasus.
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The Azerbaijani authorities denounce the desecration or degradation of mosques and Muslim sites in areas that were under Armenian control.
Last September, Baku won a military victory within 24 hours against Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh, which has since been devastated by much of its population. Azerbaijan and Armenia had previously fought in two wars for control of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, one in the 1990s after the collapse of the USSR, the other in the fall of 2020, which Baku won.
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