Azerbaijan's historical and religious monuments reflect the country's long-standing tradition of tolerance and multiculturalism, while many such sites suffered serious destruction and vandalism during the occupation, Culture Minister Adil Karimli said. Karimli made the remarks while speaking at the conference titled "Protection of Historical and Religious Monuments: Challenges and Prospects." He said that Azerbaijan has historically developed an environment of multicultural values and tolerance, rooted in the country's ancient statehood traditions. These traditions, he noted, have become part of the way of life of Azerbaijani society as well as state policy.
"Historical and religious monuments are an expression of our country's rich tradition of tolerance. Multicultural values and an environment of tolerance have historically been formed in Azerbaijan. These traditions, stemming from the nature of our ancient statehood, have become part of the way of life and state policy of the Azerbaijani state and society as a whole," the minister said.
Adil Karimli noted that during the occupation, historical and religious monuments were subjected to serious destruction and vandalism, with some completely destroyed. "Unfortunately, I would like to note that during the occupation, acts of desecration were committed at many of our religious sites and mosques. We have experienced these painful realities.
Therefore, in the post-conflict period, our state has been taking intensive measures to restore these monuments in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur. Many of our historical, cultural and religious monuments have already been restored, and this process is continuing," he said. The minister also pointed to the difficulties of protecting historical and cultural heritage in mined areas as one of the problems that emerged during the post-conflict period, particularly with regard to religious sites.
He said that special attention is paid to the protection, restoration and conservation of cultural heritage sites both within and outside Azerbaijan. "All historical and religious monuments located in Azerbaijan are protected by the state and treated with particular sensitivity. Their restoration is carried out regularly," Karimli said.
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