Azerbaijan's Culture Ministry urges French cultural figures to be honest and impartial

A group of famous French cultural figures, namely, directors, writers, actors, musicians, journalists, singers, signed an appeal in support of Armenian separatism in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, based on lies and slander, the French Le Figaro newspaper wrote, Trend reports on Nov. 23 referring to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture.

In their appeal, the French cultural figures demonstrate solidarity with the Armenians, concern over their fate in the Nagorno-Karabakh region - a repetition of the so-called "genocide of 1915", support for the Armenian separatism and concern over the so-called "insidious plans" of Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture reminded that Armenia, which has not been fulfilling the resolutions 822, 853, 874, 884 of the UN Security Council for almost 30 years, illegally held the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan - Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven adjacent districts under occupation.

"As a result of Armenia's aggressive policy during the long-term occupation, immovable historical and cultural monuments belonging to the Azerbaijani people were destroyed and misappropriated in these territories, subjected to vandalism, and misused,” the ministry said.

“Along with residential buildings, educational and industrial facilities, cultural institutions in the occupied territories, including 927 libraries with 4.6 million books, 808 palaces of culture, clubs and centers of culture, 85 music and art schools, more than 100,000 exhibits collected in 22 museums, 4 art galleries, 4 theaters and 2 concert halls, 8 parks of culture and recreation, over 2,000 historical and cultural monuments were subjected to vandalism,” the ministry added.

“Such barbaric treatment with cultural heritage, in particular, unique monuments of particular importance, should be viewed as a threat to the world heritage,” the ministry said. “The fact that influential cultural figures signed this appeal, which was presented to the world community without appropriate evidence and facts, without conducting research, thus becoming an instrument of the Armenian propaganda, is regrettable. Such an unprofessional approach casts a shadow on the image and impartiality of these people.”

“We bring to your attention that there are irrefutable facts and evidence of how Armenia, despite its membership in the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of 1954, the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, destroyed, falsified and plundered the Azerbaijani cultural heritage in the territories which it occupied earlier," the Ministry of Culture said.

The ministry also invited prominent figures of culture and science of France to the territories liberated from the occupation to witness the genocide against Azerbaijan’s cultural heritage and to really assess the current state of Azerbaijan's heritage, which was destroyed and subjected to vandalism.

News.Az 

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