Oskanian Called upon UNESCO to Stop Destruction of Armenian Monuments in NakhichevanDecember 16, 2005 - 18:24 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Today Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian addressed a letter to UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura. The letter says, "I wish to call your attention to an act of great cultural and political significance. At this moment, Azerbaijani soldiers, supported by arms and equipment, are destroying the remnants of historically and religiously significant headstones in a medieval Armenian cemetery in Nakhichevan, Azerbaijan. This area, which is situated between Armenia and Iran was home to a majority Armenian population for generations. The cemetery in question held more than 10,000 individually carved, artistically unique headstones called Stone Crosses - khachkars. The Azerbaijani government began their destruction in the 20th century, continued with great force in 2002, and during these last three days has resumed this work with a vengeance - to attempt to wipe out traces of Armenian presence on those lands. These acts of vandalism and violence, this callous demonstration of malice and intolerance comes at a time when the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the international community at large are extolling the virtues of preserving our common patrimony. Director General, it is with a great sense of anger and regret that I write this letter. I do so, however, hopeful that the ire and disapproval of the international community will be brought to bear on Azerbaijan in order that they cease from carrying out these acts which are tantamount to ethnic cleansing - only this time, there are no people left, and they have resorted to cleansing the memory of those people. I urge you to use your office to put a stop to what amounts to destroying our common cultural heritage." Top stories The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Yerevan City Council has elected Tigran Avniyan from the ruling Civil Contract as the mayor of the Armenian capital. The Armenian Parliament on Tuesday, October 3 voted to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. |