Azerbaijan's state-controlled Islamic religious body has confirmed and defended the demolition of two of Stepanakert's Armenian churches, the Holy Mother of God Cathedral and the Church of St. Jacob, claiming "both legal and moral grounds" for razing what it described as illegal structures built during the era of Armenian "occupation." The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has condemned the destruction as "state-sponsored vandalism" aimed at erasing the Armenian presence from Artsakh. In a statement issued Monday, the Caucasus Muslims Office (CMO) said the demolition could not be considered an attack on religious or cultural heritage. "The demolition of two illegal buildings cannot be considered a destruction of religious or cultural...