VARTAN OSKANIAN: AZERBAIJAN PASSES BY IN SILENCE CALLS ON STOPPING DESTRUCTION OF ARMENIAN CULTURAL MONUMENTS

Noyan Tapan
Dec 11 2006

STRASBOURG, DECEMBER 11, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian made a speech on December 6 in Strasbourg, at the opening
of the exhibition entitled "State of Armenian Cultural Heritage
in Nakhijevan." The RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information
Department submitted to Noyan Tapan the text of V.Oskanian’s
speech, which is completely presented below. "Dear Deputy Mayor,
Dear President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like, first of all,
to express gratitude to the Strasbourg Mayor and the Strasbourg City
Community Chairman who favourable showed hospitality at the Strasbourg
Mayor’s Office to this exhibition which represents the dramatic state
of the Armenian architectural heritage in Nakhijevan. Of course, a
long-lasting tradition of solidarity and cooperation exists between
Alsace and Armenia. Today, when the year of Armenia is being held in
France, I express my great satisfaction with the cultural events to
be organized in Strasbourg in the first half of 2007 which will give
possibility to make Strasbourg, Alsace and Armenia closer. I would like
to congratulate the "Alsace-Armenia Friendship" organization and its
President Pierre Zouloumian who initiated to present the Strasbourg
society these expressive evidences of destroyed centuries-old
culture and killed memory. This exhibition does not only prove the
Armenian presence during that period of time, beauty of the Armenian
churches having been in a good state still since early the 20th
century, values of Romanic art, but also denies the policy of regular
destruction of the centuries-old Armenian monuments belonging to the
whole humanity. This state vandalism arose negative responses of the
international community, particularly, of the Council of Europe. But
the Azerbaijani authorities passed by in silence the calls on stopping
destructions and continue prohibiting entry of international experts
and parliamentarians expressed wish to visit those places. I once
more express gratitude to you for your participation and solidarity
displayed in these circumstances.