NO APPEALS FROM NAGORNO-KARABAKH TO ERMITAJ
Author: A. Ismayilova

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Aug. 9, 2006

No appeals from Nagorno-Karabakh concerning the displays put in the
Russian State Museum of Ermitaj have not been received, the Chief of
the Press Centre of Ermitaj Larisa Karabelnikova told Trend.

According to her, the museum which has collected more than 3 million of
exhibits does not have any separate exhibitions devoted to Azerbaijan,
particularly to Nagorno-Karabakh.

"These are ancient exhibits, and they belong to the Department
of East. The period they belong to there were neither exhibits of
Nagorno-Karabakh nor other countries ", she stressed. She also pointed
out that if Armenians decide to dispute these exhibits, then experts`
and arts critics` involving to this process will be needed.

It should be noted that according to the Informational Agency of
REGNUM, the Director of the so-called Artsakh Historic Museum of
Local Lore Melanya Balayan told that in the Depertment of Azerbaijan
of X-VII Centuries BC of Ermitaj, a golden seal found on the territory
of the Village of Arachadzor of Mardakert District of Nagorno-Karabakh
was put. Nagorno-Karabak was marked as the place where this seal was
found, and in this connection the Armenian party corresponds with
the Ermitaj Board.

In his turn, the Director of the Department of Policy and Culture
of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan Republic Fikret
Babayev told Trend that such an appeals are not of significance. F.

Babayev thinks that everybody including a natural person has a right
to apply to Ermitaj. On F. Babayev`s opinion, such an appeals cannot
be the cause of disputing of ancient exhibits.