One of the highlights of the video conference, initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron and attended by French President Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of the European Council Charles Michel, and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, was the agreement of the UNESCO to send a mission to Azerbaijan and Armenia.UNESCO's position on the agreement reached at the meeting is interesting arises interest, APA addressed the following questions to the organization's head office:
– Has the process of preparation for the visit of the UNESCO mission started? Is the possible date of the mission's visit to the region known?
– Has it already been decided to which territories the mission will be sent? Is the mission expected to visit the liberated territories and the territories of Azerbaijan where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily stationed?
– Does the mission plan to conduct monitoring of Azerbaijani religious and cultural monuments in Armenia during the visit?
The UNESCO’s response is not concrete, but general: “We are working with all parties to create conditions for the Independent Technical Mission of UNESCO under the 1954 Convention. To this end, UNESCO welcomes all ideas and initiatives from regional organizations, as well as separate countries, that may be useful. The ideas put forward at the meeting on February 4 can be considered in this regard. These ideas will be assessed by UNESCO in full cooperation with Armenia and Azerbaijan."
As seen by the answer, UNESCO has traditionally satisfied with a general, inaccurate answer. For some time, UNESCO has said it intended to send a mission to the region, but Baku did not allow it. However, the processes show that this issue is not on the agenda at UNESCO. This is the conclusion of UNESCO's response that "the ideas put forward at the meeting on February 4 can be considered in this regard." It seems that UNESCO is trying to gain time or make some plans that are unknown to us. It is unknown in which areas the mission will work. A completely different approach should be introduced in the liberated territories and in the territories where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily stationed. It is questionable whether the mission has an action plan. The organization could not answer such a simple question yet. Will the mission monitor Azerbaijani religious and cultural monuments in Karabakh and Armenia, and is there any plan in this regard?
It seems that UNESCO is not interested in the destruction of Azerbaijan's cultural heritage. They only intend to investigate the slanderous claims of the Armenian side.
Otherwise, in response to Baku's repeated appeals during the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, UNESCO at least once would organize a mission to those territories. They even said that they considered it a political issue. However, UNESCO now remembers that the issue has to go beyond politics and take care of cultural and religious heritage.
Armenia, which occupied the territories of Azerbaijan during the First Karabakh War, turned Azykh Cave, one of the cradles of the great ancestors of mankind, into a military ammunition depot for Armenians. The Armenian military conducted new research to cover up the destruction of Azykhantropa objects - household items and tools made of clay and stone, in the Azykh cave, where the most ancient cultural artifacts of mankind are collected. The newly discovered artifacts were removed from the area by the foreign archaeologists invited by Armenians and turned into propaganda tools. However, UNESCO keeps silent.
Armenian occupants removed famous Khojaly barrows from the Earth. They destroyed Islamic monuments, especially mosques, shrines, and cemeteries, which were occupied by them, Albanian Christian monuments were completely falsified, Armenianized. Albanian writings on historical keepsake of our people Monastery of Yeghishe the Apostle, Hasanriz Temple, and other monuments were removed. Things of the monuments, belonging to Albans, were destructed. The grave of Vachagan III and writing in the Monastery of Yeghishe the Apostle have been completely destroyed. UNESCO did not see.
Cultural monuments, making up Azerbaijan’s cultural heritage, were removed from the Earth with special cruelty in the occupied territories. Armenians set 12 museums, 6 photo galleries, 9 palaces of historical importance on fire in occupied areas, UNESCO has turned a blind eye.
40,000 museum wealth and exhibits of rare historical significance were looted. 192 shrines, 144 temples, 67 mosques became victims of Armenian aggression. Elements in Aghoghlan Church in Lachin, Khudavang, Ganjabasar temple in Kalbajar, which showed belonging to Albanians, were erased, Armenianized. UNESCO kept silent.
Looting 22 museums, where more than 40,000 things were collected, 927 libraries with a fund of 4.6 million books, 808 clubs, 4 theaters, 2 concert institutions, 8 cultural and recreation parks, 4 art galleries, 85 music schools in occupied areas, Armenians plundered 103.2 thousand furniture pieces, 5640 music instruments, 481 movie devices, 20 movie cameras, 423 video recorders, 5920 sets national man and woman clothes, 40 sets of amplifiers, 25 large and 40 small attractions and took to Armenia. UNESCO kept silent against vandalism.
Bread Plant in Aghdam, which was only in the former USSR, was razed to the ground during bombing the city, up to 13 thousand precious and rare exhibits of world-famous Kalbajar History-Ethnography Museum, more than 5 thousand exhibits of Lachin History-Ethnography Museum were taken to Armenia. A great blow was stricken to our morality as a result of Shusha’s occupation.
8 museums, 31 libraries, 17 cubs, houses of culture were destructed in just Shusha city.
About 5,000 things of historical museum of the city of Shusha, about 1000 things of Shusha branch of State Museum of Azerbaijan Carpet and Folk Applied Arts, State Karabakh Historical Museum, more than 300 things of the house of composer Uzeyir Hajibayov, who was the founder of professional Azerbaijani music, were looted. Funds of Bulbul, who founded Azerbaijan’s vocal art, a prominent musician and artist Mir Movsum Navvab, Gubadli History-Ethnography Museum, Zangilan History-Ethnography Museum were plundered by Armenian aggressors. At the same time, the memorial museum of prominent Azerbaijan musician Gurban Pirimov in Aghdam district, History-Ethnography Museums in Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Khojaly districts were destroyed. Precious things, related to the history and culture of the people of Azerbaijan, art and sculpture works, world-famous Azerbaijani carpets, carpet products, memorial things of Azerbaijan’s famous personalities, other precious materials were stolen in the museums, looted by Armenian aggressors. UNESCO did not say stop to the brutality.
Do not the destruction of historical, cultural, religious monuments, remove from the Earth mean vandalism, brutality against the cultural heritage of whole people? Why has not UNESCO, which bears a duty of taking care of cultural, religious, historical monuments, cultural heritage, issued any statement against Armenia and Armenian terrorists for the acts? Or does it not consider the above-mentioned as cultural, historical, and religious heritage? Does the heritage is only observed in Armenians? Does UNESCO think so?
UNESCO has never been interested in the fate of Azerbaijan’s monuments in the territory of Armenia so far. Numerous historical-architectural monuments, caravanserais, constructions, mosques, mausoleums, cemeteries, temples, tombstones were looted by Armenians in Western Azerbaijan (current Armenia) which was the historical land of Azerbaijan. According to official information, there were 310 mosques in the territory of Yerevan Governorate, each of which was a work of architecture, at the beginning of the 20th century.
After the first Armenian country-the Republic of Armenia was established in historical Azerbaijani lands in 1918, vandalism, the destructive attitude was shown against material and cultural heritage belonging to Azerbaijanis, razed to the ground. All historical monuments in Irevan tower, including Khan palace and magnificent Sardar (Ababs Mirza) mosque, were destroyed. Currently, there is only two historical architectural monuments belonging to Azerbaijanis in the territory of Armenia- Blue Mosque (Armenians present it as “Persian mosque) and Mausoleum of Amir Saad (Armenians try to present it as “Turkmenian monument”) near Irevan. By the decision of the Armenian government “due to no importance” it was decided not to preserve graveyards of Azerbaijanis. After this decision Armenian vandals destroyed all the cemeteries of Azerbaijanis. Armenian vandals along with erasing traces of Azerbaijanis in their historical-ethnic lands carried out genocide against toponyms belonging to them. In the mono-ethnic Armenian state, 703 settlements inhabited by Azerbaijanis were renamed and Armenianized.
Armenians presenting themselves to the world as “ancient people”, “cultural people” shows a real example of barbarism and vandalism against the cultural heritage of Azerbaijanis.
Armenia should answer for its acts. The UNESCO and other international organizations should demand this answer from Armenia and should punish them for their acts. Crime against humanity should not remain without punishment.
UNESCO does not see all these. Destruction of Azerbaijani monuments, razing ground the graveyards of Azerbaijanis is essential for them. However, the fate of Christian monuments in the liberated territories from occupation concerns the leadership of UNESCO, although there is no basis.
Azerbaijan respects monuments belonging to all regions in the country and protects them. All the world witnesses it. However, UNESCO’s reaction creates such an impression that as if Christian monuments are more important than Muslim monuments. Although all religious, cultural monuments should be protected regardless of whom they belong, the UNESCO and some political circles are openly discriminating on religious grounds. All of these are clear examples of political hypocrisy and double standards.
Baku has always informed UNESCO and other international organizations on the destruction of historical monuments of Azerbaijan. In 2007 a book named “War against Azerbaijan-attack to cultural heritage” was developed and submitted to UNESCO. The book provides detailed information about the list of cultural and religious monuments destroyed by Armenians in the occupied territories of our country, their deliberate Armenianization, presenting Albanian churches as Armenian churches. The UNESCO did not adequately react to this too.
Destruction of famous historical and cultural monuments in Karabakh and Western Azerbaijan (in present-day Armenia), the arbitrariness of Armenians contradict with Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict dated 1954, Convention for the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage of Europe date 1992, Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Does not UNESCO know it?
The fact that UNESCO and other countries raised the issue of the mission after the victory of Azerbaijan, creates the right questions: Why did not UNESCO send missions to the region before? Why UNESCO did not react when mosques were destroyed in the occupied Azerbaijani areas, and pigs, cows were kept there?
The response is obvious. It clearly seems that the new reality created in the region as a result of Azerbaijan's Victory worries many political circles and they can not reconcile with this. It is unfortunate that UNESCO has been involved in this process. But, UNESCO is an intergovernmental organization and must carry out its activity in an objective, impartial manner in accordance with the mandate. UNESCO officials must not deal with the promotion of the national agendas of the countries of which they are citizens and the organization must not turn into an instrument of political Influence of any state. This is a very big blow to its image and independence. Protection of the cultural heritage is a mankind commitment and should not be used for political purposes. Azerbaijan's position is just and sustainable. Baku, as it is being yesterday, is not against the organization of the UNESCO mission, but just calls for justice.
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