European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus Magdalena Grono said Armenia and Azerbaijan should address their differing views on the origins of some historical sites as part of broader reconciliation efforts.
Grono did not name the sites in a post on X, but her remarks followed a September 11-12 visit to Azerbaijani-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh, where Azerbaijani officials presented the medieval Armenian monasteries of Gandzasar and Dadivank as part of Caucasian Albanian heritage.
“Deeply diverging views and narratives persist, for instance on origins of some sites and would need to be addressed between Azerbaijan and Armenia to also overcome this aspect of past conflict as part of their broader reconciliation efforts,” Grono wrote.
She added that acknowledging the unresolved legacy of the conflict and the suffering endured by all sides would be essential to reconciliation.
Grono joined a government-organized tour involving diplomats and representatives of international organizations. The delegation was accompanied by Hikmet Hajiyev, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s foreign policy adviser.
Azerbaijani officials described Gandzasar and Dadivank as Caucasian Albanian monuments, despite their Armenian inscriptions and their place in the Armenian Apostolic tradition.
Grono is due to arrive in Yerevan on September 14 for meetings with Armenian officials and civil society representatives.
Also read: Azerbaijan presents Armenian monasteries as Caucasian Albanian during diplomats’ Karabakh tour
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