On January 25, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ara Aivazian held a phone conversation with Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO.

The interlocutors once again touched upon the issues of preservation of the Armenian historical and religious heritage in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, and the prospects of cooperation with UNESCO in this regard. Minister Aivazian noted that the Armenian historical-cultural monuments are an integral part of the rich heritage of the region, expecting active involvement of UNESCO for their protection.

Minister Aivazian emphasized the urgency of taking steps to preserve the Armenian historical-cultural and religious heritage in the territories fallen under the Azerbaijani control, which is particularly pertinent amid the deliberate destruction of the Armenian heritage and distortion of its identity.

Welcoming the decision to send a fact-finding mission of UNESCO, the Foreign Minister of Armenia stressed the universal importance of Artsakh’s Armenian cultural heritage, considering it inadmissible to politicize the issue of their protection, as well as Azerbaijan’s practice of creating artificial obstacles in the process.