Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
March 23 2006
Azerbaijan’s Culture and Tourism Ministry: `Mikhail Piotrovski’s
`love’ for Armenian culture comes from his Armenian mother’
[ 23 Mar. 2006 16:53 ]
Associate Member of the Russian Academy of Science, director of the
State Hermitage Mikhail Piotrovski, in his interview to journalists
in Armenia, denounced the alleged destruction of Armenian graveyards
in Julfa region of Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. He considered this alleged
act as destruction of historic and cultural monuments in all
circumstances.
Azerbaijan’s Culture and Tourism Minister issued a statement
regarding the Piotrovski’s expressions. The Ministry said that
Piotrovski distorted historical truths and demonstrated his
unawareness on the abovementioned issue.
The Ministry informed APA that after the appeal of Armenian Catalicos
to the former USSR leaders in the 60s of last century a lot of graves
in Nagorno Garabagh and Julfa cemetery were taken to Armenia. In
addition, graves belonging to Caucasian Albans were stolen from
Azerbaijan’s regions of Gazakh, Tovuz, Gadabey, Gubadli and Lachin
and taken to Armenian.
`The Russian scientist expressed the historical facts that were
politicized and distorted by Armenian historians. It is surprising
that, the prominent scientist commented on unreal and unconfirmed
event without referring to facts. We want to tell Mr.Piotrovski that
Armenia’s aggression to Azerbaijan’s territories since 1988 led to
destruction of world-important 13, country-important 192 and 330
locally-important historical and cultural monuments, which reflected
ancient history and glorious past of Azerbaijani people. In addition,
during Armenian invasion, 808 club-houses, 927 libraries, 22 museums
with their exhibits and their branches, 85 musical schools and their
branches, 4 theatre buildings, 4 art galleries with their 100
thousand rare exhibits, 2 concert halls, 1892 cultural and art
establishments were destroyed by Armenians. Armenians also vandalized
the world-important archeological monument, Azikh cave dating to
Paleolithic period, Khantapa, Kultapa and Shomutapa monuments dating
to Neolithic period, B.C. VI-VII, which are very important sources to
research human civilization, Ganjabasar temple dating to Caucasian
Albanian Christianity, Aghoghlan temple in Lachin region, Asgaran
castle in Khojali region, Amaras temple, unique exhibits of Kelbajar
ethnographic museum, ethnographic museum in Lachin dating to 3000
years ago, which is rich in golden and silver things, its ancient
coin collection, the unique Aghdam Bread Museum and Stone Monumental
Museum in Zangilan region, Shusha Ethnographic Museum with 5 thousand
exhibits, the State Lachin Ethnographic Museum, which is rich in
carpets, the State Carpet Museum branch in Shusha, popular applied
art museum and the Garabagh State-Ethnographic Museum with thousand
exhibits.
Though these monuments were to be preserved in compliance with the
International Conventions `On preserve of material values during
armed conflicts’ and `On illegal import and export of material
values’, Armenian barbarians ignoring UNESCO and other international
organizations, are pursuing their aggressive policy now.
The Culture and Tourism Ministry expresses its assurance that what
Piotrovski said does not represent Russian prominent, objective
historians’, scientists’ stances on the issue. Bearing in mind that
Mikhail Piotrovski’s `love’ for Armenian culture comes from his
Armenian mother Ripsime Janpoladyan and his father, academician of
Armenian Academy of Science, archeologist, orientalist, Boris
Piotrovski’s love for Armenian culture, Azerbaijani society would
better not to be surprised his approach to historical truths.
We reassure you that `researchers’ who attempt to distort history,
approach truths from chauvinism aspect will never be considered as
objective scientist and intellectuals. History does not accept
distortion,’ the Ministry concluded./APA/