Armenia's National Assembly on July 3 ratified the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. The bill was presented by Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan.

Andreasyan said joining the convention creates new opportunities for participating countries. It aims to strengthen the protection of underwater cultural heritage through international cooperation, scientific research, information exchange, education, and professional capacity-building.

Under the convention, underwater cultural heritage includes all traces of human existence with cultural, historical, or archaeological significance that have remained partially or entirely underwater, either periodically or continuously, for at least 100 years.

“This may include archaeological sites, buildings, structures, settlement remains, ships, shipwrecks, aircraft, historical objects, and other material evidence of human activity,” the minister said.

The convention requires participating states, individually or jointly, to take all necessary measures to protect underwater cultural heritage by applying internationally recognized professional standards and best practices.

According to Andreasyan, Armenia's accession is important both for preserving cultural heritage and for expanding international cooperation.

She added that experts believe Lake Sevan and several other bodies of water in Armenia contain cultural layers that fall under the convention's protection. Their study and legal regulation, she said, require the application of relevant international standards.