YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Famous Armenian and foreign figures of art and science have initiated an online petition aimed at dismissing First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva from her title of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Canadian-Armenian actress Arsinee Khanjian said on Facebook.

The petition has been launched at Change.org, with an open letter attached, addressed to UNESCO Director General Madame Audrey Azoulay.

“We believe that the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva - representative of one of the most corrupt, violent, and oppressive regimes of our times, should not remain a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, as a politician who bears full responsibility for countless human rights violations, encouragement and implementation of the hate policy against Armenians on the state level, as well as for the numerous war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani leadership against Armenians”, the letter says.

The authors of the letter recalled the statements of the wife of the Azerbaijani president according to which the Nagorno Karabakh conflict can be solved through military means.

The letter also addressed the Azerbaijani targeting of spiritual, cultural centers, civilian infrastructure in Artsakh’s Shushi and Stepanakert which resulted in destructions and human losses.

The letter has been signed by Canadian-Armenian filmmaker Atom Egoyan, soloist of SOAD Serj Tankian, Arsine Khanjian, Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai, as well as a number of other famous public and cultural figures, heads of various educational institutions, professors, etc.

Nearly 23,000 people have already joined the online petition.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan