The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia officially refutes publications on various media platforms of Azerbaijan that allegedly the fortification, restoration and preservation activities of Armenian historical and cultural immovable monuments located on the delimited (and not only) sections of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan are intended to eliminate “Albanian traces”.

Such reporting is blatantly false, yet another manifestation of Azerbaijan's manipulative policy of distorting historical facts.

In particular, the church in the Kirants village in Tavush region of Armenia was built in the 19th century from local rough stone and is a three-nave Armenian basilica. The inscription “1888 ami” on the upper part of the window of the southern depository confirms the Armenian identity and construction date, alongside the preserved Armenian inscription to the right of it. This Kirant church was turned into a warehouse during the Soviet period. In 2024, the funds allocated by the Government of the Republic of Armenia will be used for fortification, restoration and preservation of the monument, as well as to assemble scientific and design documentation for the installation of the bell tower-rotunda.

The center-domed Church of the Holy Virgin of Voskepar in the Tavush region of the Republic of Armenia dates back to the 7th century. It belongs to the “mastara-type” structures of the Armenian early medieval church architecture (St. Hovhannes in Mastara, St. Grigor in Harichavank, St. Gevorg in Artik, St. Arakelots in Kars). The early medieval church of Voskepar underwent major restorations in 1975-1977, but due to the infiltration of moisture caused by atmospheric precipitation, the roof coverings of the church were destroyed, and the roof beams were damaged. In 2024, the roof of the monument will be restored with public funds.

The early Christian Yereruyk Temple in the Shirak region of Armenia, which also became the target of Azerbaijani information propaganda and, according to a false historical statement, was presented as a Turkic monument, is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage tentative list and the list of endangered cultural monuments of Europa Nostra.

The Yereruyk Temple and the surrounding area are rich in cultural layer, as evidenced by the results of research conducted by Armenian and Italian archaeological expeditions over the years.

The fortification and restoration program of the Early Christian temple in Yereruyk is carried out within the framework of cooperation between the RA ESCS Ministry and the U.S. Embassy in Armenia with the funding of the U.S. Ambassador’s “Fund for the Preservation of Cultural Values”.

The preservation, restoration and promotion of the historical and cultural heritage of the Republic of Armenia are among the priorities of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, and the state carries out continuous work in this direction.

We call on the relevant circles of Azerbaijan to refrain from distorting historical facts, as well as to ensure the protection of Armenian historical and cultural monuments under the control of Azerbaijan, in particular, by ensuring the visits of an international observation mission to monitor Armenian monuments located in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.