US Congressmen Denounced Destruction of Armenian Khachkars in Nakhichevan

23.12.2005
PanARMENIAN.Net

Co-Chairs of the US Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) have sent a joint letter to Ambassador Pashayev of Azerbaijan expressing their concern over the reported destruction of Armenian khachkars (cross stones), monuments and headstones in the medieval cemetery of Julfa, Nakhichevan of the Azerbaijan Republic on December 15, 2005, reported the Armenian Assembly of America. Knollenberg and Pallone stated their opposition to the vandalism of Armenian khachkars (headstones) that have for centuries existed in the Julfa Cemetery, pointing out that the same site was vandalized in 2002, leaving up to 2,000 of the 10,000 khachkars intact. The organized nature of the ongoing demolition accounted by eyewitnesses has been qualified as cleansing. The letter also calls attention to Azerbaijan's national responsibilities within the United Nations, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and other international frameworks. “As a member of the international community, Azerbaijan has a duty to preserve the cultural and historical heritage in its custody. By ignoring this obligation, the government of Azerbaijan undermines U.S. and international efforts to achieve greater stability in the South Caucasus region,” says the letter of Knollenberg and Pallone.
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