UNESCO to Send Experts to Nakhichevan

28.03.2006
PanARMENIAN.Net

UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura (Japan) has expressed readiness to send a group of experts to Nakhichevan to study the issue and to censure what happened.

There is a difference between expressing readiness and actually going there. There is still the problem of Azerbaijan letting the group of experts from UNESCO, into the Julfa cemetery for inspection and censure.

Last week Chairman of the World Armenian Congress Ara Abrahamyan, being a UNESCO good will Ambassador during an official meeting drew Koïchiro Matsuura’s attention to destruction of the Armenian cemetery in Old Julfa by Azerbaijanis.

In the words of chair of the European representation of all-Armenian structures, Armenian FM's Advisor Ashot Grigoryan, A. Abrahamyan censured vandalism regarding cultural monuments. Vandalism regarding Christian monuments in Old Julfa entails negative political consequences as well and more destabilizes the political situation in the South Caucasus, Abrahamyan remarked. He also invited Koïchiro Matsuura to visit Armenia to get acquainted with treasures of the Armenian culture. The UNESCO Director-General assured in case of receiving an invitation, he will plan his visit to Armenia with pleasure.

Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.