06 January 2021, 08:36
President of Azerbaijan declared Shusha to be cultural capital
Ilham Aliev, Azerbaijani President, has ordered to return the city of Shusha to its historical appearance, restore mosques and return the Days of Vagif's Poetry and the "Khary Bulbul" Festival back to the city.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the capture of Shusha in November was a key event in the autumn escalation of the Karabakh conflict. With the loss of Shusha, Armenia agreed to conclude the peace agreement, under which the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities lost control over two-thirds of the territory.
The Azerbaijani authorities has already announced about their plans to build a road to Shusha within 1.5 years. First shops are being opened in the city. An Azerbaijani construction company had presented a project for a five-star hotel complex "Karabakh Victory" to be built in Shusha. Azerbaijani authorities have decided to create a seismic station in the city and build an airport nearby.
On December 5, Ilham Aliev, while receiving Anar Kerimov, the new Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, called the city of Shusha the republic's cultural capital.
The Azerbaijani leader has noted that an audit of all the housing stock and historical monuments should be conducted in the city; the damage caused during the hostilities should be accurately calculated. After that, Azerbaijan will start restoring the original historical appearance of the city, the "Sputnik-Azerbaijan" quotes President Aliev as stating.
According to his story, the mosques located in Shusha must also be overhauled. Besides, it is necessary to restore the Days of Vagif's Poetry and the "Khary Bulbul" Festival, the president has added.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 5, 2021 at 10:25 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
