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A total of 197 historical and cultural monuments, about 800 paintings, graphic works and sculptures of the Museum of Fine Arts in the Artsakh town of Shushi, as well as more than 700 specimens kept at the Shushi Geological Museum came under the control of Azerbaijan after the recent war, MP Anna Kostanyan from the opposition Bright Armenia Party said on Tuesday.

In a post on Facebook, the lawmaker said she addressed a letter to Russia Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopirkin on November 26, asking him to help the Armenians to evacuate or at least videotape the collection of 4 state and 2 private museums in Shushi upon the mediation of the commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Artsakh, Rustam Muradov

“Notably, during one of his regular discussions Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov highlighted the protection of historical and cultural monuments in the Azerbaijani-held territories of Artsakh and said that he had talked to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, who said a group of specialists would be send to Artsakh to assess on the ground the extent of damage to all historical sites and cultural values, the possibility of their restoration and the issue of their preservation.

“Thus, clear statements were made by the Russian official and the UNESCO leadership. What steps are our authorities taking to save the historical and cultural heritage from the criminal intents of the Azerbaijanis?” she wrote.