UNESCO explains incident at Khachkar exhibit by lack of coordination

June 20, 2011 - 18:34 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The incident which occurred at Paris-hosted Khachkar Craftsmanship exhibit, organized by Armenia's permanent representation, was caused by a lack of prior coordination.

As UNESCO headquarters told PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, “prior consultation is essential when organising events involving the interests of many countries.”

“Unfortunately, that condition was not fully met; several exhibits didn't correspond to organisation's mandate and might undermine the spirit of international understanding and cooperation,” the representative of the organisation noted, assuring that the exhibit was in no way censured or negated any historic facts.

“The organisation attempted to work in close contact with the representatives of Armenia to avoid unnecessary politicization of a cultural event. During all the stages of preparation, UNESCO secretariat was strictly adhering to rules and regulations meant for member states. We spared no efforts for the event to be a success,” the organisation representative stated.

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 Khachkar (cross-stone) had been removed without any clarification on the part of organizers of the event. Only dates were indicated under the photos.