In Shushi, 200 monuments of history and architecture protected by authorities, Georgy Airapetyan asserts

Residents of Nagorno-Karabakh celebrate the 21st anniversary of the liberation of the city of Shushi (Shusha). In recent years, the reconstruction works in the city were intensified, and the historic buildings and monuments are protected by the authorities. This was stated by Georgy Airapetyan, Chief Architect of the Shushi District.

The reconstruction works in the city of Shushi are carried out in a large scale, including the works financed by funds of the All-Armenian "Armenia" Foundation, the government of Nagorno-Karabakh and private philanthropists. This was reported by Georgy Airapetyan, Chief Architect of the Shushi District.

"Many streets were improved, and roofs of high-rise residential buildings were repaired. Capital repair of the school No. 1 named after Kh. Abovyan was carried out, and the construction of the House of culture and library is underway. Large-scale works have been carried out also on the programme of capital investment: the construction of the building for the branch of the Yerevan Agricultural University is underway, and it is to be completed in 2014," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Georgy Airapetyan.

According to his story, the building of the Institute for Noble Maidens Mariamyan has been restored, and it accommodated the Ministry of Culture.

The Chief Architect states that the city is completely supplied with electricity, and 95 percent of gas supply has been provided. Internet connection is active, and daily transport is working, providing connection to Stepanakert every 30 minutes.

The Chief Architect of the Shushi District has also stated that the construction works are focused on architectural appearance of the city of Shushi and that the historic buildings are being restored with account to the preservation of their original forms.

In total, according to the Georgy Airapetyan's information, the city of Shushi has about 200 historical and architectural monuments, including five Islamic monuments, and all of them are protected by the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Sarasar Saryan, Chairman of the Public Organization of Refugees of Nagorno-Karabakh, believes that Azerbaijan has no right to call the Armenian lands the Azerbaijani ones.

"We should proceed from the historical facts which deny that Shushi is an Azerbaijani city. There a lot of Armenian monuments here, and even at present, during excavations, we find khachkars (stones-crosses) that they once tried to destroy. Our Armenian cemetery is of the early 18th century, and the Bible rewritten in Shushi bears a date from the 15th century. There are enough facts and artefacts in the museum, proving that Armenians always lived here," Sarasar Saryan has emphasized.

Chairman of the Public Organization of Refugees of Nagorno-Karabakh believes it is a fault of the international community that Azerbaijan expresses his claims to the Armenian side.

"While the international community is guided by double standards, Azerbaijan will continue its aggressive actions. All claims of the Azerbaijani side, even with regard to Armenian cultural valuables, are contrived, and they are based on double standards of the international community, which does not recognize the independence of our republic and leaves the Azerbaijan's actions against the Armenian people unpunished, starting from the outbreak of hostilities and ending with the incident with Safarov," Sarasar Saryan has stated.