The First Deputy Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, Acting Minister Anar Karimov sent an appeal to the Director Generals of UNESCO and ISESCO regarding results of preliminary monitoring on Azerbaijani territories liberated from Armenian occupation, the ministry told Trend.

In the appeal, Karimov informed that in the territories of Azerbaijan, which were under the occupation of the Armenian Armed Forces for almost 30 years and recently liberated by Azerbaijan, preliminary monitoring was carried out to determine the damage caused to cultural heritage.

The appeal reflected the results of the preliminary monitoring of the damage caused to the historical, cultural, and religious monuments of Azerbaijan in the liberated territories. It was emphasized that the destruction of historical and cultural heritage is a gross violation of the requirements of the relevant international conventions and a crime against humanity.

"The development of a multicultural and tolerant society that historically existed in Azerbaijan is today one of the main directions of the state policy of the country. Today, representatives of different peoples and religions live peacefully side by side in our country and contribute to the overall progress of Azerbaijan,” said the appeal. “Along with the large Muslim community, Christian and Jewish religious communities are also an active part of our society, and the monuments and places of worship belonging to these religions are protected, repaired, and restored by the Azerbaijani state.”

In conclusion, it was noted that the results of the current monitoring in the liberated territories will be regularly presented to the leaders of both organizations.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, the Armenian Armed Forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

In 2020, the military confrontation between the occupying Armenian forces and Azerbaijan has intensified. Back in July 2020, the Armenian Armed Forces violated the ceasefire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district. As a result of Azerbaijan's retaliation, the opposing forces were silenced. The fighting continued the following days as well. Azerbaijan lost a number of military personnel members, who died fighting off the attacks of the Armenian Armed Forces.

Further, the Armenian Armed Forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of the Azerbaijani army on the front line, using large-caliber weapons, mortars, and artillery on Sept. 27. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front.

Following over a month of military action to liberate its territories from Armenian occupation, Azerbaijan has pushed Armenia to sign the surrender document. A joint statement on the matter was made by the Azerbaijani president, Armenia's PM, and the president of Russia.

A complete ceasefire and a cessation of all hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were introduced at 00:00 hours (Moscow time) on 10 November 2020.