“Now I’m in the center of Aghdam. It looks like Warsaw in 1945. Nothing left. The Armenian side so cruelly not only destroyed the city but took everything. 30,000 people lived in this part of the city. Nothing’s left of their lives except for some rubble. Gives a sense of what real cruelty and hatred can do,” said former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza, who is in the Aghdam district as part of a trip of a group of international experts with ADA University.

Bryza has captured on video the destruction of Aghdam and its sights.

“This, of course, is the beautiful famous mosque, the Juma Mosque. Here in Aghdam it is really the only building that sort of survived intact. All these years, and for me it is a symbol of resilience and of hope of return to restoration of normal lives here in Aghdam. Since Nov. 9-10, the conflict’s resolution agreement is in place. It’s been very emotional, it’s an amazing sight to see this very Azerbaijani soldier coming out of the mosque. A very powerful visit that helps bring to life so much that has been lost here in Aghdam,” he said.

Together with a group of international analysts, he also visited the palace of the Karabakh khans in Aghdam, where he saw the extent of destruction of this historical object.

“This was the graveyard, there’s a monument to the Karabakh khan’s daughter, all destroyed and tombs were used during the occupation period as cow shreds,” Bryza said.

“And as I finish my visit to Aghdam I look down the road toward Khojaly, toward Khankendi with hope for resurrection of normality here,” he added.