ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES DO NOT REALIZE IMPORTANCE OF HISTORIC-CULTURAL VALUES, SPECIALIST ON MONUMENTS SAMVEL KARAPETIAN SAYS

NOYAN TAPAN
JULY 13, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JULY 13, NOYAN TAPAN. An illustrated book under the title
Western Azerbaijan’s Monuments was published in several languages in
2007 in Azerbaijan. The book includes almost all cultural monuments
of Armenia.

Specialist on monuments Samvel Karapetian reported at the July 10
press conference showing the journalists the copy of that book,
in which Noravank, Amberd and many other Armenian monuments are
presented as Azeri ones. He said that Azeris give copies of the book
to foreign officials.

According to S. Karapetian, it is noteworthy that Azeri President
Ilham Aliyev’s greeting speech is presented on the first page of the
book. "If book’s author had published his book on his own, we would
say that he is a sick man and would not pay attention to him. However,
if the book was published with President’s sponsorship, our state
should respond to it without fail," S. Karapetian said.

He said that historian Ruben Ghalejian has lately published
an album-book under the title New Armenia, which, in essence,
delivers a counter-blow to Azerbaijan’s misrepresenting the
history. According to S. Karapetian, that book consisting of 12
sections is about the Armenian mountainous land, water spaces and
the whole cultural heritage. The specialist on monuments added that
appreciating R. Ghalejian’s work, he also considers that it is the
state that should attend to issues of monuments’ preservation. And
for the present, according to him, the state and the authorities do
not realize the importance of historic-cultural values.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress