Protection of Armenian Cultural Heritage Discussed at the National Commission for UNESCO

YEREVAN (Armradio) — The sitting of the Armenian National Commission for UNESCO was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“As you know, due to the Azerbaijani-Turkish aggression, after the November 9 trilateral statement, along with other humanitarian issues, one of the urgent issues has been the proper and guaranteed preservation of the Armenian historical, cultural and religious heritage in the territories under Azerbaijani control,” Chairman of the Armenian National Commission for UNESCO, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ara Aivazian said in his opening remarks.

“Thousands of historical, cultural and religious monuments in the territories of Artsakh, which came under the military control of Azerbaijan, face the threat of destruction. These monuments, which are the material evidence of the centuries-old history of the Armenian people in the region, are of great value not only in terms of Armenian but also world cultural heritage.,” Minister Aivazian said.

“The danger of destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage of Artsakh is real, taking into account the numerous precedents of their deliberate damage by Azerbaijan, the decades-long anti-Armenian policy and the systematic destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage. This is evidenced by the destruction of about 28,000 monuments of Nakhichevan’s rich Armenian cultural heritage,” he added.

Minister Aivazian stressed that from the very first days of the Azerbaijani-Turkish aggression, all the necessary work had been done to draw the attention of the international community to the importance of protecting the historical and cultural monuments of Artsakh. Touching upon the business trip of the UNESCO mission to Artsakh, the Foreign Minister stressed that the Armenian side is in a constructive dialogue with the organization.

The Minister reaffirmed that the Armenian Foreign Ministry will continue its follow-up work on the protection of Artsakh’s historical and cultural heritage.

The Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia Vahram Dumanyan presented to the participants the works carried out by the Ministry for the protection of the monuments and museums of Artsakh under the control of Azerbaijan. Minister Dumanyan emphasized that the issue of guaranteeing the security of the Armenian cultural values, which are universal values, is constantly raised in the relevant international platforms, in contacts with partners.

During the meeting the participants exchanged views on the implementation of the programs on the agenda of the commission session.