On October 28 an International Meeting on the Protection and Restoration of Cultural Heritage with New and Emerging Technologies commenced at the Matenadaran, Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts. The Meeting was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, the Armenian National Commission for UNESCO and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia, in cooperation with UNESCO.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vahan Kostanyan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Alfred Kocharyan, as well as Director of the UNESCO Culture and Emergencies Entity and Secretary of the 1954 Hague Convention Krista Pikkat, on behalf of Director-General of the UNESCO Audrey Azoulay, delivered opening remarks.

The Meeting is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the 25th anniversary of the 1999 Second Protocol.

In his remarks, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia touched upon the importance of the 1954 Hague Convention as a vital instrument for the protection of cultural heritage. Vahan Kostanyan emphasized that today the civilized world is facing unprecedented challenges in the protection of cultural values, amid a visible surge in attacks on cultural heritage - a reality witnessed in our region as well concerning Armenian cultural heritage.

In this context, Vahan Kostanyan stressed the urgent need to strengthen institutions and mechanisms for preserving cultural heritage, including developing innovative approaches and using cutting-edge technologies, which provide new opportunities to address the aforementioned challenges.

Note: The International Meeting on the Protection and Restoration of Cultural Heritage with New and Emerging Technologies will occur on October 28 and 29. The discussions will be held at the Matenadaran, Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts and the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies.

The Meeting gathers nearly 40 distinguished experts from abroad, along with representatives of international organizations.