Azerbaijan calls to condemn Armenian vandalism

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Charges d'affaires of Azerbaijan to UNESCO Ayaz Gojayev has met with Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO Ernesto Ottone.

During the meeting, Gojayev was informed about the military aggression carried out by Armenia against Azerbaijan. 

He stressed that the Armenian side is targeting the civilian population and infrastructure. Women, children and innocent people were killed and wounded as a result of the bombing of settlements near and far from Azerbaijan's by the Armenian armed forces. As a result of Armenian aggression, civilian infrastructure was severely damaged as well. 

Gojayev noted that as a result of the bombing of Azerbaijan's occupied territories by the Armenian armed forces, as well as far from the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Azerbaijan's material and cultural heritage monuments were seriously damaged.

The tomb of Sheikh Babi of the 13th century, the 9th century Imamzadeh Mosque, the historic building in Ganja, the 19th century Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Church were destroyed in the Fuzuli region.

Charges d'affaires also noted that the targeting and destruction of Azerbaijan's historical and cultural heritage by Armenia violates international law, as well as the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. 

The Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO was informed of Azerbaijan's concern over the destruction and misappropriation of the cultural heritage monuments by Armenia.

Ayaz Gojayev stressed that  Azerbaijani Juma Mosque in Agdam turned into a barn for pigs, which was an insult to the entire Muslim world. 

The meeting called on Armenia to deceive the public by spreading false information in accordance with its old nature, and called on the organization to be careful and not to believe such false information.

Ernesto Ottone, in turn, emphasized that UNESCO closely monitors the events and is ready to assist in the protection of cultural heritage if necessary within its mandate.