On February 16, 2024, the Artsakh State Council for the Protection of Cultural Heritage announced that Azerbaijan had destroyed the Eagle monument, a symbol of Stepanakert residents' childhood, located in the Upper Park of Stepanakert. The monument was constructed back in the 1960s.

Recently, the destruction of monuments in Stepanakert has been ongoing and persistent, indicating a clear trend towards de-Armenianization and the alienation of key elements of cultural identity.

Our response

In addition, the destruction of the Eagle monument undermines the integrity of the overall natural and cultural landscape. Paragraph 88 of the UNESCO operational guidelines, adopted in 2005, defines the integrity of heritage as a measure of the wholeness and intactness of cultural areas or sites, their elements, and values. To preserve this integrity, it is crucial that the heritage is free from negative impacts and that all its characteristics remain unchanged: Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, UNESCO, Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of The World Cultural and Natural Heritage, WHC. 11/01 November 2011.