On May 2, within the framework of the UN Security Council, a thematic discussion was held under the title “Protection of Cultural Heritage during Armed Conflicts,” organized by the permanent representations of France and the United Arab Emirates to the Security Council. As we learn from the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Audrey Azoulay, and representatives of a number of UN member states delivered speeches during the discussion.
In his speech, Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Mher Margaryan, addressed the destruction of Armenian cultural monuments by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh and in territories under Azerbaijani control, noting that such actions constitute part of Azerbaijan’s systematic policy of eliminating the Armenian presence in the region.
Ambassador Margaryan emphasized that Azerbaijan’s earlier encroachments against Armenian cultural heritage have also been documented and widely covered, citing as an example the destruction of Armenian medieval churches and more than 5,000 khachkars in Nakhichevan.
The attention of the discussion participants was also drawn to the decision adopted by the International Court of Justice in December 2021 on the basis of Armenia’s lawsuit regarding the application of provisional measures, which obliges Azerbaijan to “take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration directed against Armenian cultural heritage, including churches and other places of worship, monuments, landmarks, and cemeteries.”
The Permanent Representative of Armenia stressed that Armenia has continuously called on UNESCO to send a fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent territories, while Azerbaijan has constantly obstructed the efforts of international bodies to provide an independent and impartial assessment of the facts on the ground.
