YEREVAN, OCTOBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan and French Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak discussed the issue of protection of Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Zhanna Andreasyan said at a joint press conference with the French Minister of Culture held in Matenadaran on October 26.

"This topic was one of the key topics of today's discussion. We should try to find that effective international mechanisms that will help to raise awareness, and thereby help to increase protection as well," said Andreasyan, considering the issue of endangerment of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh as one of the most important issues.

The minister emphasized that since 2020, it has not been possible to send an international mission that would be able to document the situation related to cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the problem has become even complicated after the forced displacement of NK people.

 ‘’More than 5,000 monuments, more than 20 museums have remained in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and the protection of these values is one of our most important problems", stressed Andreasyan and underscored the importance of the solution of the endangered intangible cultural heritage.

French Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak, referring to the topic, informed that they have submitted an official request to UNESCO on the issue of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh, so that the latter could  get permission to visit those areas and record all the historical and cultural samples that are Armenian.

"Thus, we will be able to identify and get an idea of what happened.  Executive Director of the International Union for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Zones (ALIPH) Valery Freland is in Armenia as part of our delegation.

ALIF has been able to capture various satellite images, and a database has already been established to record what remains and the condition in which these samples are found, specifically, their state of distortion.

 France has accomplished this with the help of ALIF," the Minister of Culture of France elaborated.