Diplomatic corps tour Karabakh and East Zangezur reconstruction sites

A 150-member delegation of diplomats representing 58 countries and nine international organizations is conducting a multi-day tour of Karabakh and East Zangezur in Azerbaijan. Accompanied by Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, the group is inspecting reconstruction projects, infrastructure, and cultural sites.

On the second day of the tour, the delegation is scheduled to visit the Kalbajar and Aghdara districts. Planned stops include the Ganjasar Monastery Complex, the Khudavang Monastery Complex, the Yukhari Vang Hydroelectric Power Station, and the Istisu mineral water bottling plant. The itinerary also includes attending a honey festival in Kalbajar.

Prior to these visits, the diplomats toured Khankendi and Shusha, inspecting the Khankendi Railway and Bus Terminal Complex, Karabakh University, and various restoration projects in Shusha, such as the New Shusha Mosque construction site.

Critics have raised concerns regarding the tour, suggesting that the participation of foreign officials in state-organized visits to sites like the Ganjasar Monastery may lend legitimacy to Azerbaijani efforts to reframe the historical identity of Armenian Christian monuments through a “Caucasian Albanian” narrative.