Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh faces threat of destruction, deputy FM says

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 28, ARMENPRESS. The millennia-old Armenian heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh is facing the threat of destruction and distortion of identity, Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan has said.

Kostanyan delivered remarks at the International Meeting on Protection and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, a conference organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, jointly with UNESCO.

Kostanyan said that in the modern world there are frequent attacks on cultural heritage, and the denial of cultural identity is being used as a tool to escalate conflicts and disrupt international stability.

“False narratives are generated to use culture as a tool of division rather than a factor of unity. Unfortunately, even today the binding principles of international conventions and ICJ rulings are being ignored, creating dangerous precedents threatening the global system of cultural protection and reflect the weakening of multilateral international institutions and mechanisms,” Kostanyan said.

He said that these difficult realities have had heavy consequences in Nagorno-Karabakh, where the millennia-old Armenian heritage is facing the threat of destruction and distortion of identity by Azerbaijan.

Kostanyan called for the strengthening of institutions and tools aimed at preservation of cultural heritage in order to withstand such threats. He said that innovative ways must be explored to preserve the joint heritage of humanity.