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Nalbandian Refers To Azerbaijan Savagery In UNESCO Speech

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  • Nalbandian Refers To Azerbaijan Savagery In UNESCO Speech

    NALBANDIAN REFERS TO AZERBAIJAN SAVAGERY IN UNESCO SPEECH

    Tert.am
    12:34 08.10.09

    During the 35th session of the UNESCO General Conference held
    in Paris, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
    Edward Nalbandian, in his speech yesterday, discussed the subject of
    preserving cultural artifacts, noting the cooperation between Iran
    and Armenia in preserving each nation's cultural monuments.

    "There is an excellent cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran
    that takes proper care of the Armenian monuments situated in its
    territory. The living proof of the aforementioned is the inclusion of
    St. Thaddaeus Monastery in the World Heritage List by the suggestion
    of Iran," said Nalbandian in his official speech to delegates.

    However, Nalbandian went to say that such regional cooperation is
    lacking, to say the least, with some of Armenia's other neighbours:
    Azerbaijan, in particular. In fact, rather than cooperation, there
    is the demolition of precious cultural artificats. Nalbandian states:

    "A painful proof of the monument demolition that has been in process
    for years, is the annihilation of the centuries-old Jugha (Julfa)
    Cemetery in Nakhichevan with its tens of thousands of delicately
    carved, unique cross-stones [khatchkars] dating from the 9th to the
    16th centuries...

    "There was no war in the years between 1998 and 2005 when thousands of
    these giant sculptures were knocked over, piled onto railroad cars and
    carted away under the Azerbaijani government's watchful eyes. In 2005,
    this enormous cultural gem was bulldozed down, leveled and turned
    into a military training ground in a government-sanctioned operation."

    Continuing, Nalbandian noted that a 7th century Armenian church
    in Nakhichevan was demolished in 1975 during a time of no war, for
    no reason other than "to wipe out the memory of the Armenians who
    constituted a majority there just decades earlier."

    Nalbandian concluded his speech by saying that Armenia cherishes
    protecting cultural values which are universal among a

    "Armenia gives high priority to the protection of cultural values
    which are not 'mine' or 'yours' but 'ours' -- those cultural values
    that are truly universal and shared, those that are worthy not just
    of national attention but international.

    "Armenia's commitment to protection and promotion of human rights
    and cultural diversity is very real. Both cultural diversity and the
    protection of monuments are especially significant for nations which
    have monuments beyond national borders, ¬ indeed in countries around
    the world and particularly in our neighborhood."

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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