Baku declares Stepanakert sports and cultural complex military. Monumentwatch.org

During a report broadcast on March 20, 2024 on the Azerbaijani "Baku TV" channel, the sports and cultural complex being built at the height of the Haykavan district of Stepanakert city before the 44-day war of 2020 was presented as "a secret military complex of Armenians near Stepanakert". This is stated on the website "Monumentwatch.org", which monitors Artsakh's cultural heritage.

"According to the journalist, there were hiding places dug into the rock, secret rooms, warehouses, and the area was suitable for controlling Stepanakert, Shushi, even Ivanyan. The reporter presents some papers as "evidence", calling them special documents and showing several license plates of cars found in the area, which are quite well visible and clearly have civilian license plates.

And in fact, in this part of Stepanakert, a large sports and cultural memorial complex was being built, which would perpetuate the memory of all the victims of the national struggle. It was built with Simon Petrosyan's investments.

Construction started back in 2007. A museum was planned as part of the complex. The latter was to be on the first floor, and had a rock-hewn section, the walls of which were to be decorated with sculptures and images representing Armenian history. The liberation struggle of the Armenian people, the history of the region, the liberation struggle of Artsakh should be presented in the museum. There should also have been a large hall for various events, including conferences. There was also to be a hotel and a restaurant on the premises. This complex was supposed to contribute to the development of tourism in Stepanakert.

Work was still ongoing as of 2019 and remained unfinished as a result of the 44-day war.

Thus, the claims of the Azerbaijani side that this complex had military significance are groundless," the website states.