Baku: Armenians disrespected Christian monuments in Karabakh: 'Our lands were under occupation, and during that time, we experienced bitter lessons,' MP Rizvan Nabiyev said during today's session of the Milli Majlis (Parliament of Azerbaijan), in the discussion on the proposed amendment to the law 'On the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments,' APA reports.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the MP emphasized that the ownership of a place or a location by a nation is not measured solely by international law. He stated, 'What is accepted is that if a people have lived in a certain place for a long time, there must be material cultural heritage belonging to them. The question of Shusha belonging to us has been raised repeatedly. And there are numerous factors that answer this.' Nabiyev cited the renowned German scholar Hesse, who documented the rich Azerbaijani cultural heritage in Shusha, noting the presence of 95 Azerbaijani poets and writers, 38 composers, and 22 Azerbaijani singers in the area at the end of the 19th century.

The MP discussed the proposed amendment to the current law, which stipulates that if the territories of a nation or a state are subjected to occupation and their monuments are seized as spoils, the issue should be raised before international organizations. Reports should be presented, requiring a process of documentation and registration (passportization).

Nabiyev further stated that in 1977, under the initiative of national leader Heydar Aliyev, the central part of Shusha was declared a historical and cultural reserve. He noted that efforts are being made to include the area in the list of protected monuments under the UNESCO Convention.

The MP highlighted that during the occupation period, 437 cultural monuments were seriously damaged. He pointed out a specific instance in the Khojaly district, where a monument called Pirlar, an Albanian Christian monument, was used as a weapons depot. This, he argued, demonstrated a lack of respect for a Christian monument by the opposing side, despite their shared Christian heritage.