MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: press@mfa.am

PRESS RELEASE

16-03-2006

Azeris Transform Armenian Cemetery into a Shooting-Range

In December 2005, the Azerbaijani military razed to the ground about
3,500 khachkars – gigantic carved stone cross headstones, dating
from the 15th century – in the Nakhichevan exclave on the Iranian and
Turkish borders. The medieval cemetery originally held 10,000 of these
exquisitely carved headstones. Armenians formed a majority in this
region during the 17th to 19th centuries. The number of headstones –
which hold both religious and cultural significance – was reduced
to half during the soviet years, and in the last decade, a conscious
effort to demolish them and remove all traces of Armenians resulted
in the complete destruction and removal of all remaining monuments.

The most recent effort to break up and remove the stone crosses was
noted in December 2005. This week, clerics on the Iranian border
photographed the barren cemetery and its new feature – a shooting
range.

The government of Armenia presented a formal complaint to UNESCO
Director General Koichiro Matsuura on the destruction of monuments
which form a part of the cultural patrimony of the world. In addition,
the European Parliament, in February 2006, condemned the destruction
of these irreplaceable treasures.