Azerbaijan's national statement presented at session of UNESCO Executive Board

The 214th session of the UNESCO Executive Board is taking place in Paris.

Report informs that during the meeting, Azerbaijan's Permanent Representative to this organization, Elman Abdullayev, presented the national statement of the Republic of Azerbaijan, elected to this important body of UNESCO - the Executive Board with the broad support of Member States.

Abdullayev said that the meeting of the Executive Board is taking place at a time of turmoil for the international community against the backdrop of a serious deterioration in the situation in Ukraine and around it. Azerbaijan expresses its deep regret that the efforts for a peaceful settlement have not yet produced results capable of stopping the fighting. Of particular concern is the rising number of civilian casualties. The Azerbaijani representative reaffirmed the need for strict adherence to international humanitarian law for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, including cultural heritage and educational institutions.

Elman Abdullayev noted that Azerbaijan had suffered from Armenian armed aggression for almost 30 years. Over the past years, Armenians have committed serious war crimes and crimes against humanity and clearly violeted the norms of international law on the protection of cultural heritage.

Quite prosperous regions of Azerbaijan, with once rich cultural and natural heritage, have been destroyed. For many years, the Armenian government has pursued a systematic policy of destroying, looting and misappropriating the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan both in the territories that it has occupied for 30 years, and in Armenia itself. When retreating, the Armenian armed forces illegally took out bells, crosses, famous frescoes and ancient manuscripts of the Khudavang monastery of the 13th century, as well as valuable artifacts from the Azykh caves and the Shahbulag fortress. Abdullayev noted that 160 valuable carpets were illegally taken out of the Shusha Carpet Museum, and 71 of them are exhibited in the museum in Yerevan. All these facts are reflected in the reports submitted by Azerbaijan to the Second Protocol Committee. Landmines and other explosives planted in the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from Armenian occupation pose a serious threat to the cultural heritage of these territories, impede restoration work and delay the return of civilians. The explosons have killed and wounded a number of civilians and journalists.

The Permanent Representative thanked Director General Audrey Azoulay for her statement condemning the killing of Azerbaijani journalists and recalled that media representatives Siraj Abishov and Maharram Ibrahimov were killed in a landmine explosion on June 4, 2021 in the Kalbajar region of the republic.

He noted that after the end of the armed conflict, Azerbaijan entered the phase of post-conflict reconstruction, restoration and reintegration.

According to Elman Abdullayev, Azerbaijan is determined to properly preserve, restore and put into operation all cultural and religious monuments in the liberated territories, regardless of their origin. He noted that Azerbaijan continues to cooperate with the international community, including with the relevant specialized insitutions and UN agencies, in connection with ongoing large-scale rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the liberated territories. He expressed hope that UNESCO will contribute to these efforts and belief that this organization will follow the example of other relevant UN agencies and institutions.