Azerbaijan, Baku, May 25 /Trend, I.Isabalayeva/
The Archaeology and Ethnography Institute of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences will raise the issue of belonging to Azerbaijan of the ancient monument recently discovered by the Armenians in the occupied Lachin region of Azerbaijan, director of the Institute Mayisa Rahimova told journalists.
She said ANAS may raise the issue before other authorized agencies.
"There is no doubt that all the monuments discovered in the occupied Azerbaijani territories belong to the Azerbaijani people. The monument found in Lachin also belongs to the Azerbaijani people," said Rahimova.
She said about 40 expeditions will be organized in Azerbaijan this year.
"Firstly we will give preference to conducting expeditions in the Karabakh region, because most of the Karabakh region has been occupied. Armenians destroy the monuments found there, and when they find new monuments, they claim that these monuments belong to them," said Rahimova.
A buried treasure, belonging to the first and fourth centuries BC, was discovered in Azerbaijan's Lachin district occupied by Armenia.
The treasure contains ornaments made of silver weighing 700 grams, gold ornaments weighing about 200 grams - earrings, rings, necklaces and five kilograms of brass ornaments.
The history museum of Armenia estimates the total value of the treasure at $21,366.
Armenians fear that since the treasure was found in the Azerbaijan territories occupied by Armenians, the other side may claim for ownership of this treasure.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied territories.