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UNESCO CONFERENCE: PALESTINE ISSUE AND PRESERVATION OF ARMENIAN CULTURAL-HISTORICAL HERITAGE
By Aris Ghazinyan
ArmeniaNow
03.11.11 | 15:37
On October 31 in Paris a rare event took place: Armenia and Azerbaijan
took the same stance on one of important issues of international
political life. The event is outstanding also because, for example,
Georgia - which more often sides with Azerbaijan on such matters -
took the contrary position.
The event was the voting at the United Nation's Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on accepting Palestine
as its member.
At UNESCO an issue can be approved by 2/3 majority of votes, which
was the case with Palestine. 107 countries voted for Palestine's
membership in UNESCO, among them Russia, Brazil, China, India, France,
Turkey, the South African Republic, and others. According to Reuters,
14 countries voted against, among them the USA, Canada and Germany,
and 52 countries abstained (among them Great Britain).
Georgia's position was dictated by its connections with Washington and
Berlin, whereas Azerbaijan and Armenia were guided by the former's
attitude to Muslim countries of the region and, in Armenia's case,
the close relations between Armenians and Arabs.
With this said, however, it by no means implies "improved relations"
of Yerevan and Baku.
Moreover, when Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan delivered a
speech at the 36th session of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris,
the main focus of his statement was the "preservation of the Armenian
historical-cultural heritage in the neighboring countries", rather
than the Palestinian issue.
Bringing Iran as an example of a caring attitude towards Armenian
culture, the minister, naturally, could not bypass the ever-urgent
issue of destruction of unique Armenian khachkars (stone crosses)
of Old Jugha (or Julfa), and qualified Azerbaijan's barbaric policy
as manifestation of "blind hatred".
Almost six years have passed since the December when Baku dealt
shortly with the last of khachkars at the medieval Armenian cemetery
of Nakhijevan. Unfortunately, neither the Armenian side nor the
international human rights community succeeded in delegating an expert
commission to the region.
It is commonly believed that French-Armenian chanson singer Charles
Aznavour is the Armenian Ambassador to UNESCO. However, that's not
quite the case: Aznavour's appointment to that position in 1995 was
rather symbolic. Nonetheless, Aznavour's name and authority granted
unique advantages which Armenia has failed to make use of and direct
the attention of the international community to the preservation
issue of Armenian cultural monuments in the world.
>From this point of view mutual relations and the work of the Armenian
diplomacy in UNESCO need a new impulse. Especially that the former
administration of that organization as represented by Director-General
Koichiro Matsuura displayed criminal indifference to the fate of the
Armenian khachkars, despite the persistently voiced alarms of public
figures and human rights activists of different countries. It should
be noted that in Paris Nalbandyan met new Director-General Irina
Bokova and invited her to Yerevan.
By Aris Ghazinyan
ArmeniaNow
03.11.11 | 15:37
On October 31 in Paris a rare event took place: Armenia and Azerbaijan
took the same stance on one of important issues of international
political life. The event is outstanding also because, for example,
Georgia - which more often sides with Azerbaijan on such matters -
took the contrary position.
The event was the voting at the United Nation's Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on accepting Palestine
as its member.
At UNESCO an issue can be approved by 2/3 majority of votes, which
was the case with Palestine. 107 countries voted for Palestine's
membership in UNESCO, among them Russia, Brazil, China, India, France,
Turkey, the South African Republic, and others. According to Reuters,
14 countries voted against, among them the USA, Canada and Germany,
and 52 countries abstained (among them Great Britain).
Georgia's position was dictated by its connections with Washington and
Berlin, whereas Azerbaijan and Armenia were guided by the former's
attitude to Muslim countries of the region and, in Armenia's case,
the close relations between Armenians and Arabs.
With this said, however, it by no means implies "improved relations"
of Yerevan and Baku.
Moreover, when Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan delivered a
speech at the 36th session of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris,
the main focus of his statement was the "preservation of the Armenian
historical-cultural heritage in the neighboring countries", rather
than the Palestinian issue.
Bringing Iran as an example of a caring attitude towards Armenian
culture, the minister, naturally, could not bypass the ever-urgent
issue of destruction of unique Armenian khachkars (stone crosses)
of Old Jugha (or Julfa), and qualified Azerbaijan's barbaric policy
as manifestation of "blind hatred".
Almost six years have passed since the December when Baku dealt
shortly with the last of khachkars at the medieval Armenian cemetery
of Nakhijevan. Unfortunately, neither the Armenian side nor the
international human rights community succeeded in delegating an expert
commission to the region.
It is commonly believed that French-Armenian chanson singer Charles
Aznavour is the Armenian Ambassador to UNESCO. However, that's not
quite the case: Aznavour's appointment to that position in 1995 was
rather symbolic. Nonetheless, Aznavour's name and authority granted
unique advantages which Armenia has failed to make use of and direct
the attention of the international community to the preservation
issue of Armenian cultural monuments in the world.
>From this point of view mutual relations and the work of the Armenian
diplomacy in UNESCO need a new impulse. Especially that the former
administration of that organization as represented by Director-General
Koichiro Matsuura displayed criminal indifference to the fate of the
Armenian khachkars, despite the persistently voiced alarms of public
figures and human rights activists of different countries. It should
be noted that in Paris Nalbandyan met new Director-General Irina
Bokova and invited her to Yerevan.