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Presenting the main achievements and priorities in culture during discussions of the draft 2027 state budget at a joint sitting of the National Assembly’s standing committees, Armenia’s Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Zhanna Andreasyan, stressed that Armenia had resumed the process of nominating new monuments for the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List after a hiatus of nearly 30 years.
A further five monuments or groups of monuments are expected to be added to the World Heritage Tentative List by 2031.
“Inclusion on UNESCO lists is an opportunity not only to gain international recognition, but also to improve the quality of management, since having an appropriate management system for monuments is also an important requirement,” Andreasyan stressed.
Work is currently under way to prepare nominations for the historic capital of Artashat and the rock-cut settlements of Syunik Province. There are also plans to nominate one of Armenia’s fortresses. Efforts to promote intangible cultural heritage are continuing.
According to the minister, two further elements are expected to be submitted for inclusion on the relevant UNESCO lists in the coming years.
Turning to results already achieved, Andreasyan highlighted the nomination “Areni-1 Cave: Prehistoric Life and Winemaking in the Arpa River Gorge”, as well as a joint nomination with Iran concerning traditions associated with rain and water, which also provides an opportunity to promote the Armenian tradition of Vardavar internationally.
The process concerns the Tentative List, rather than UNESCO’s main World Heritage List. No new Armenian nominations had been added to the Tentative List since 1995. The process resumed in 2024 with the inclusion of the nomination “The Vishaps and the Cultural Landscape of Tirinkatar”.