Categories
South Caucasus News

UN Special Rapporteur expresses concern over destruction and appropriation of Armenian historic and religious sites by Azerbaijan


Listen to this article

In the communication addressed to Azerbaijan, the UN Special Rapporteur on cultural rights Alexandra Xanthaki has expressed concern on “ongoing pattern of destruction and appropriation of Armenian historically, culturally and religiously significant sites and objects of religious, historical and cultural importance.

She expressed articular concern over the “allegations that the combined attacks to people, monuments and symbols, the falsification of the historical narrative and erasure of place names and the negative discourses about Armenians may amount to cultural cleansing and will have a profound negative impact on the possibilities to restore lasting peace in the region.”

UN Special Rapporteur underlined that “the International Court of Justice, the European Parliament and the Council of Europe have all expressed concerns about a developing narrative in Azerbaijan promoting a ‘Caucasian Albanian’ heritage to replace ‘Armenian’ cultural heritage nd the revisionist tendency negating Armenian cultural heritage and presence. “The vast majority of experts in the region’s art, architecture, and archaeology have all rejected the revisionist claims as false,” she said.