Russian Leaders Are Urged to Censure Vandalism in Nakhichevan

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian Cultural Monuments in Nakhichevan Subject to Azerbaijan's Vandalism round table was held in Moscow March 20. Leaders of various organizations took part in the panel: Victor Krivopuskov (Society for Friendship and Cooperation with Armenia), Sergey Abgaryan (Nakhichevan Moscow Armenian Association), Yuri Navoyan (Russian-Armenian Commonwealth), Emanuil Dolbakyan (Ararat Armenian Cultural-Enlightening Association), reports the Yerkramas, the newspaper of Armenians of Russia.



Participants of the meeting adopted a Statement, which censures barbaric destruction of Armenian historical and architectural monuments in Old Julfa town in Nakhichevan, Azerbaijan, carried out by Baku authorities in December 2005. «There were some 8 thousand Armenian khachkars (cross stones) in Old Julfa in early 20th century, when historical Armenian province of Nakhichevan was part of the Russian Empire and then the Republic of Armenia. During Nakhichevan being part of the Soviet Azerbaijan over 4 thousand of these masterpieces of world architecture were destroyed. Vandalism was stopped owing to UNESCO efforts since 1998. However, now when Russia, US and France - co-chairs of the OSCE MG for Karabakh settlement, the OSCE, EU and other international organizations search for ways to solve the Nagorno Karabakh issue, official Baku impudently completes vandalism in Nakhichevan, in spite of international community's humanist efforts,» the Statement says.



The Statement authors are also outraged that Azerbaijan pursues state policy of forging history of Russia, Armenia, the Caucasian regions as a whole, thus deliberately misleading its people and the international community, which runs counter to conventional human norms of preservation of cultural legacy, UN Convention of 1948 and is an act of genocide.



«We address the state leaders, political and public figures of Russian, Russian Orthodox Church, urging them to immediately censure the vandalism and demand that Azeri authorities strictly observe conventional international norms and commitments to preserve the cultural and historical legacy of other peoples in the country in compliance with international conventions and commitments,» the Statement notes.