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AZERBAIJANI President Ilham Aliyev lit a ceremonial fire in Shusha, a city recently conquered from the Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, to mark Nowruz on Saturday in a demonstration of Azeri cultural reconquest.
Nowruz — Persian New Year — is a national holiday in Azerbaijan but not in Armenia. Marking it in Shusha drew attention to the city’s contested history on the eve of the anniversary of the Shusha massacre, which began on March 22 1920. Armed Azeris massacred thousands of Armenians and set fire to their homes and churches.
Mr Aliyev accused Armenia of having destroyed “historical sites” in Shusha while it was part of Nagorno-Karabakh from 1992 until November’s war. But Armenia has accused his government of doing the same, as he has ordered the destruction of medieval inscriptions on Armenian churches, describing them as fake.
Nagorno-Karabakh authorities said Mr Aliyev’s “cultural terrorism” has included the destruction of Shusha’s John the Baptist Church. Azerbaijan denies this and says the church is being renovated.
