Pargev Martirosyan was in Karabakh throughout the war with Azerbaijan, which ended in 1994. The Armenian forces marked their first major victory on 8–9 May 1992, when they took over Shusha, the historic center of the region. Archbishop Pargev blessed the Armenian soldiers before the start of the operation. On the morning of 9 May 1992 Archbishop Pargev with a number of Armenians soldiers entered the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shusha, where they prayed for the fallen soldiers. It was the first time since the 1920 Shusha massacre that a prayer was heard at the cathedral. Soon after the city was captured, restoration work began at Ghazanchetsots, which was used as an arsenal by the Azerbaijanis.