YEREVAN. - No efforts must be spared to make protection of cultural and architectural monuments a profitable business attractive to tourists, Karo Aivazyan of the Agency for Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments, Ministry of Culture, said during a Yerevan-Moscow-Kiev-Kishinev space bridge “Historical and cultural monuments: preserving historical homeland”, held on Thursday.

The historical center of Armenia’s capital suffered especially after the collapse of Soviet Union: many of the city’s green zones were destroyed during the energy crisis in early 1990s; later, the economic growth affected the old buildings, most of them being historical monuments. Officially, however, no cultural monument had been destroyed in Yerevan before 2004, the year the list of cultural heritage was officially compiled. Buildings dating back to the 19th and early 20th centuries were mostly affected. Yerevan’s architectural aspect has been changed. The current list of cultural heritage includes about 900 pieces, Aivazyan said.

The expert said that the relevant laws are not always effective. Damage appraisal standards have not so far been elaborated, and damage caused to historical monuments is equaled to that caused to any other buildings.

“We must preserve our heritage,” Aivazyan said.