Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has commented on reports indicating that Karabakh’s main Armenian cathedral has recently been demolished by Azerbaijani authorities.

Pashinyan was asked to comment on the report at a press briefing on Thursday.

He said the Armenian government is currently trying to obtain complete information on the matter but called for “prudence” in such cases, “especially at this stage.”

“On such issues, especially at this stage, one must be prudent, because they are a double-edged sword. As the New Testament says to its readers: ‘For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you,’” he said, reciting the Gospel of Matthew 7:2, part of the Sermon on the Mount.

“So we will look into it and analyze it. I do not think that, taking into account our previous experience, we will make this a subject of international discussions at the state level. This is a situation that we need to fully and comprehensively understand,” the Prime Minister said.

Addressing a journalist’s remark that the destruction of cultural heritage is more an _expression_ of hostility than a step toward peace, Pashinyan said:

“I have already stated what my criteria for peace are. For two years now, no people have been killed or injured as a result of Armenia–Azerbaijan exchanges of fire. Armenia and Azerbaijan have recognized each other’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, inviolability of borders, and political independence based on the Alma-Ata Declaration. And we—Armenia and Azerbaijan—must approach any issue from this perspective.”

RFE/RL earlier published satellite images showing an empty space at the site of the imposing Holy Mother of God Cathedral, indicating that the church has been demolished by Azerbaijani authorities.