Continuing its aggressive policy, the Republic of Armenia carried out illegal archeological excavations in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan. According to the Ministry of Culture, the Republic of Armenia has been conducting archeological excavations in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan since 1992, in violation of international law, including the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Excavations carried out since 2002 with the participation of foreign experts in the Azykh cave camp, located in the Khojavend region of the Republic of Azerbaijan and registered as an archeological monument of world importance, are of this kind. Material and cultural samples found during the excavations were transported to the Republic of Armenia and appropriated. Paragraph 9 of the Second Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, adopted in The Hague in 1954, states that the occupier illegally trades cultural property, any archeological excavations in relation to the "occupied territories". , prohibits the alteration or destruction of the nature of scientific evidence, and establishes obligations such as prevention. Unlawful acts against cultural property and cultural heritage during armed conflicts are considered a war crime under international criminal law. The Republic of Armenia, as a state, bears direct international legal responsibility for acts of vandalism committed against material and cultural monuments in the territories we once occupied. The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan keeps this issue under strict control and notes that international organizations will be regularly informed about the illegal activities of the Armenian side and measures will be taken to apply the necessary legal procedures to prevent such embezzlement. International organizations, especially UNESCO, are required to give a legal assessment to these facts.