Armenia elected member of UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict

On December 12, a meeting of the parties to the 2nd Protocol (1999) to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was held in Paris, the press center of the Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports reported.

At the meeting, Armenia was elected a member of the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict for a 4-year term.

The Armenian delegation was led by Alfred Kocharyan, the Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports.

In his remarks, Kocharyan warned that the Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh is endangered.

He presented evidence on the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage and Armenian traces in Artsakh, as it happened in Nakhichevan.

Kochryan highlighted that in the past three years, Azerbaijan has been blocking a UNESCO mission proposed by the organization’s director general.

He added that the UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights issued a statement expressing concern about the destruction and appropriation of Armenian historic and cultural, as well as religious sites, which constitutes a violation of international standards of human rights.