UNESCO concerned about reports of cultural heritage destruction in Artsakh

Artsakh has been under the focus of UNESCO for many years, and the organization is concerned about the reports on alleged destruction of various types of cultural heritage there, Krista Pikkat, Director of the UNESCO Culture and Emergencies Entity and Secretary of the 1954 Hague Convention and its two protocols (1954 and 1999), told Armenpress.

“We have received reports from all different concerned parties about the alleged destruction of different kinds and different cultural properties of different origin. So that’s why UNESCO has been monitoring the situation with concern,” Pikkat said, adding that during the previous conflict, the UNESCO Director-General immediately wanted to dispatch a technical mission to the region to take stock of the situation and to understand the needs and how UNESCO can help to preserve and protect the diverse heritage.

“The discussions on the dispatch of the mission, the composition and also what will be the focus of the mission was laid at the highest level with the concerned parties. Now that the situation has changed, this mission can no longer be dispatched under the 1954 Hague Convention,” she said.

When asked whether she believes Azerbaijan could agree to a UNESCO monitoring group visit to inspect and protect the ancient Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh, Pikkat repeated that the organization is in discussions with Baku.

“As I said we are in discussions with the Azerbaijani authorities. But I would also like to mention that the 1954 Hague Convention has an ad-hoc monitoring mechanism that was put in place, and that can be triggered by any member state. So, it is also the decision of the member states and the committee how UNESCO can engage and support the countries,” Pikkat said.