The process of evacuation of monuments of the period of independence began in Berdzor, Aghavno and Sus

According to the trilateral agreement signed on November 9, 2020, both Berdzor town and Aghavno and Sus villages came under the control of the peacekeeping contingent of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation stationed in the Republic of Artsakh. However, on June 27, 2022, during the press conference the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated that after changing the route of the Goris-Stepanakert road passing through Aghavno village, the villages of Aghavno and Sus, Berdzor town and the surrounding settlements will come under the control of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan.

It should be noted that, both in Aghavno, and in Berdzor, the churches of Surb Hambardzman (Holy Ascension, Berdzor, 1998, fig. 1) and Surb Nahatyakyats (Holy Martyrs, Aghavno, 2002) were built after the liberation, many khachkars dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide (in the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Ascension in Berdzor, Fig. 2, in Sus village, now evacuated, Fig. 3), the 1988 earthquake victims (in the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Ascension in Berdzor, Fig. 4), to the memory of soldiers died in the liberation struggle (on the territory of the memorial complex in Berdzor, fig. 5, 6, and by the road leading from Aghavno to Berdzor, fig. 7), in memory of the fallen soldiers during the Four-Day war (in the courtyard of the school in Berdzor village, fig. 8), as well as many other memorials and springs (Fig.9-11).

And what fate awaits the local cultural monuments? In his speeches, the President of Azerbaijan openly emphasized that they were demolishing monuments, buildings, etc., "illegally" erected by the "occupiers" during the past thirty years.

Under such conditions, the monuments of the period of independence are the primary target. The Artsakh authorities have already made a decision to evacuate these and have begun the process. Khachkars of Sus village have already been evacuated and moved to safe places (Fig. 12, 13). The Government of the Republic of Artsakh informs that khachkars and memorials of Berdzor and Aghavno will be evacuated in the near future. The head of Aghavno village Andranik Chavushyan said in his interview to hraparak.am that they are going to move the khachkars as well (“We will take the khachkars out. Shall we leave these to them to urinate on? The head of Aghavno village” - hraparak.am).

What fate will befall the churches of the Holy Ascension and the Holy Martyrs is still unknown. It should also be noted that we have already witnessed many times the special Azerbaijani vandalism against new monuments, such as khachkars of the chapel of  Mataghis village and its surroundings, the khachkar dedicated to the First Artsakh liberation war in Vorotan, the memorial with a cross composition in Shukurbeyli village  in Jrakan (Jabrayil) region, the khachkar of  Arakel village in Hadrut region, the "Revived Talish" monument in Talish village in Martakert region, the church of Mekhakavan (Jabrayil) village.