The Foreign Ministry's press service commented on the statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry on the targeting of places of worship and cultural monuments in Shusha.
The Foreign Ministry said that the statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry on the targeting of religious places of worship and cultural monuments in the occupied city of Shusha by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, Armenia's deliberate firing on Azerbaijani settlements, civil infrastructure and cultural monuments drew the attention of the international community. The following are false accusations and provocations spread in order to distract:
"For almost 30 years, Armenia has been pursuing a policy of deliberate destruction of Azerbaijani historical and cultural monuments in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in order to eliminate all traces of Azerbaijan's heritage.
Recently, Armenia has once again demonstrated its long-standing policy of vandalism by firing rockets at Azerbaijan's second largest city, as well as Ganja, the center of our country's historical and cultural heritage.
Azerbaijan is one of the most religiously tolerant countries in the world, where cultural diversity is clearly and openly felt.
"Unlike Armenia, which committed a cultural genocide in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, destroyed and insulted its mosques, Azerbaijan attaches great importance to preserving the traditions of tolerance, and the fully renovated and state-sponsored Armenian Church of St. Gregory in central Baku is a shining example of this policy."
"As officially announced by the Military Command of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, the targets of the Azerbaijani Army are the enemy's military infrastructure, firing positions and military units. The Azerbaijani Armed Forces carry out counter-offensives in the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan in accordance with international humanitarian law and the Geneva Convention.
We reiterate that indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on the civilian population and facilities of Azerbaijan are considered war crimes in accordance with international humanitarian law, for which Armenia is responsible; at the same time, these acts are the basis for bringing the perpetrators to individual criminal responsibility.
"Undoubtedly, as soon as Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions of Azerbaijan are liberated from occupation, all historical, cultural and religious monuments of Azerbaijan destroyed as a result of Armenian aggression will be restored here," the statement said.