"Armenian heritage at risk: MP Pozzolo calls for explanations" by Carlo Coppola
On the eve of the Armenia–EU summit of 4–5 May 2026, the protection of Armenian Christian heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh has once again moved to the center of public debate, within a context marked by political uncertainty and an Italian silence that weighs as heavily as—if not more than—an explicit stance.
MP Emanuele Pozzolo (Futuro Nazionale) has announced the filing of a parliamentary question addressed to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, seeking clarification on reports—also echoed by Archbishop Parghev Martirosyan—of destroyed churches, desecrated cemeteries, and erased historical sites in territories now under Azerbaijani control.
“If these facts are confirmed,” Pozzolo stated, “we would be facing dynamics that evoke historical tragedies such as the Armenian Genocide.” In reality, these claims are already supported by a substantial body of reports, images, and studies originating not only from Armenian sources but also from independent international research institutions. The phenomenon has been described as a systematic process of cultural erasure affecting not only Artsakh but also Nakhichevan, where entire monumental complexes have effectively vanished.
Despite this evidence, European institutions have repeatedly issued formal condemnations, yet without translating them into binding measures, leaving their responses largely confined to the moral and declaratory sphere. Meanwhile, time acts as an irreversible force: what is not protected today risks being lost forever.
The issue now feeds into the broader framework of the upcoming summit with Armenia, where cultural heritage protection and regional security may once again emerge as key points of discussion. In this light, the parliamentary question appears less as an act of political opportunism than as an attempt to clarify whether—and how—Italy intends to act on a dossier that remains both open and globally sensitive, setting a significant precedent for the defense of Christian communities’ rights.
Yet the question of Italy’s position remains unresolved. In 2020, following the forty-four-day war, the current Prime Minister proposed a UNESCO mission to safeguard Armenian sites, invoking the idea of “cultural blue helmets,” and as early as 2018 had recognized the 1915 Genocide, taking clear positions also within the European arena. These statements, however significant, do not appear to have translated into direct and concrete actions under her leadership.
On the eve of the summit, therefore, the issue remains open: an uncomfortable memory—or one selectively set aside—within a delicate balance in which strategic and energy considerations also seem to play a decisive role. Pozzolo is calling for answers, but Armenian history has been awaiting clarity for far longer.
