Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ara Aivazian today had a telephone conversation with UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.

The interlocutors once again touched upon the preservation of Armenian historical and religious heritage in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone and, in this context, the prospects for cooperation with the UNESCO. Minister Aivazian stated that Armenian historical and cultural monuments make up an integral part of the rich heritage in the region and anticipated the active involvement of the UNESCO in the protection of those monuments.

Minister Aivazian underscored the urgency of taking actions to preserve the Armenian historical, cultural and religious heritage in the territories that are now under Azerbaijani control.

Welcoming the UNESCO’s decision to send a fact-finding mission, the Armenian foreign minister highlighted the universal importance of the Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh and viewed the politicization of the protection of that heritage and the Azerbaijani side’s practice in creating artificial obstacles as unacceptable.