Armenia`s FM calls on international community to prevent destruction  of Armenian cultural heritage of Nagorno Karabakh by Azerbaijan so  that it does not share tragic fate of Nakhijevan

ArmInfo. The extraordinary challenges that the world faces today from armed conflicts to COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of climate change, emphasize the  importance of expanding cooperation in the fields of education,  sciences, culture, communication and information. Armenia's Foreign  Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated this during his speech at the 41st  Session of the UNESCO General Assembly, the press service of the RA  MFA reports.

"Therefore today, as we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of  UNESCO, we reiterate our commitment to the values of UNESCO and  support its Strategic Transformation process.

In 2022 Armenia will mark the 30th anniversary of its UNESCO  membership, during which Armenia has been and continues to be firmly  committed to UNESCO's mandate to advance universal values and fulfill  our common goals, including those defined in the 2030 Agenda for  Sustainable Development. That is why we have decided to stand for the  Executive Board of UNESCO by submitting our candidacy for the  2021-2025 term. 

Armenia is committed to promoting a future of education based on the  principle of equal opportunities for all. We think that Global  citizenship education is an important tool to respond to global  challenges. We also believe that education and awareness-raising are  vital for advancing the prevention of hate speech and identity-based  discrimination. This is also one of the main ideas behind  establishing the UNESCO Chair on Education and Prevention of Genocide  and other Atrocity Crimes in 2020 in Yerevan State University.

Armenia strongly supports UNESCO actions for Global Priority Africa  and Small Islands Developing States (SIDS). These actions should be  further reinforced with special attention to the fields of education  and culture.

Armenia supports UNESCO's efforts to safeguard cultural heritage in  conflict zones and condemn the attacks on cultural symbols because of  their diverse origin or identity. 

During the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against  Nagorno-Karabakh and its people last fall, the armed forces of  Azerbaijan have been deliberately targeting civilian infrastructures,  including schools, kindergartens, as well as Armenian cultural and  religious heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh.  As a result, more than  22.000 children of Nagorno-Karabakh have been deprived of their right  to education. 

Also, it has been almost a year since Armenia alerted the  Director-General and the Member States of UNESCO on the severe  threats to the Armenian cultural property located in the territories  fallen underAzerbaijani control.

We are grateful to Madame Azoulay for her efforts to send an  independent technical mission in and around Nagorno-Karabakh in line  with the 1954 Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in  the event of armed conflict.

Unfortunately, Azerbaijan continues to block the implementation of  this mission. This obstructive attitude makes us fear the worst for  the state of the Armenian cultural heritage under Azerbaijani  controlled territory. Both during the military hostilities and after  the establishment of the ceasefire, there have been numerous  documented cases of deliberate destruction and acts of vandalism by  the Azerbaijani armed forces against the Armenian cultural and  religious heritage, and the most notorious example is the double  precise drone strikes on the Holy Saviour Ghazanchetsots Cathedral of  Shushi on October 8th, last year.

Along with the physical destruction of Nagorno-Karabakh's religious  and cultural heritage, we witness unacceptable cases of distortion of  the identity and changing of the architectural appearance of the  Armenian cultural and religious heritage in  the territories of  Nagorno- Karabakh currently controlled by Azerbaijan with more than  1.500 cultural property and 19.000 museum exhibits.

It is crucial to spearhead international efforts and act  appropriately to prevent the Armenian cultural heritage in  Nagorno-Karabakh to share the tragic fate of 28.000 annihilated  properties of the Armenian cultural heritage of Nakhijevan.

I would like to conclude by stressing the importance of promoting a  culture of peace, tolerance, mutual respect, and dialogue between  cultures as an essential tool for bringing people together and  promoting peaceful co-existence. It will enable us to achieve all of  the Organization's priorities," Mirzoyan concluded.