How did Turkey, Azerbaijan manage to intimidate or bribe UNESCO?

June 16, 2011 - 21:44 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey and Azerbaijan are using every chance to advance their doubtful version of truth about Armenia or anything linked to it. Recent unpleasant occurrence at Paris-hosted Khachkar Craftsmanship exhibit proves it.

On June 15, a photo exhibition titled Khachkar Craftsmanship opened in Paris in the framework of scientific conferences organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

On the opening day of the exhibition hosting the Armenian Deputy Minister of Culture and Armenian Ambassador in France Vigen Tchitetchian, the guests faced an unpleasant surprise. The attendees were embarrassed to see that the quotations indicating the place of origin of each Khachkhar (cross-stone), had been removed without any clarification on the part of organizers of the event. Only dates were indicated under the photos. Armenian organizations of France and Switzerland vigorously protested against attempts to deny the cultural heritage of Armenia.

Hay Dat French Bureau expressed outrage over the unpleasant occurrence at Paris-hosted Khachkar Craftsmanship exhibit. As Hay Dat stressed in its statement, the “civilized vandalism” of UNESCO, inconsistent with the Organisation’s mission, aroused strong protest in France’s Armenian community. As the statement said, such attitude will be responded by the community accordingly. “The incident proves the involvement of Azerbaijan and Turkey. By yielding to political pressure, UNESCO stained its good name,” the statement stressed.

It's not excluded that the incident was Armenia's neighbors' act of revenge for UNESCO's decision to inscribe Armenian Cross-Stones Art, symbolism and Craftsmanship of Khachkars on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Taking into consideration the fact that Khachkar is the acting tradition for all Armenians, its inscription on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage provides grounds for maintenance and transition of knowledge, rituals, traditions and craftsmanship connected with Khachkars to next generations.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan attempted to protest the decision and claimed that Khachkars “are not Armenian.”

One might only wonder over why UNESCO, which in November 2010 ignored the Azeri hysterics, decided to back out now. How did Armenia's neighbours manage to intimidate or bribe UNESCO?