Anne Derse Stops Short of Destruction of Armenian Cemetery in Nakhichevan

May 23, 2006
PanARMENIAN.Net

U.S. Ambassador Designate to Azerbaijan Anne Derse responded to concerns raised by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) regarding Azerbaijan's destruction of the over millennia old Djulfa Armenian cemetery in Nakhichevan, but refrained from pledging any concrete commitment to investigate the matter, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Submitting a written response to questions by Sen. Boxer relayed during her May 12th Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing, Derse noted that the Department of State is "urging the relevant Azerbaijani authorities to investigate the allegations of desecration of cultural monuments in Nakhichevan and take appropriate measures to prevent any desecration of cultural monuments. Armenia and Azerbaijan are both members of UNESCO (and OSCE), and Azerbaijan has raised these issues in those organizations. We have encouraged Armenia and Azerbaijan to work with UNESCO to investigate this incident. If I am confirmed, and if such issues arise during my tenure, I will communicate our concerns to the Government of Azerbaijan and pursue appropriate activities in support of U.S. interests."

Are diplomats paid to come up with creative evasive responses? What a farce!

Sen. Boxer had specifically asked if the Ambassador Designate would "visit the cemetery site and commit [herself] to investigating the demolition of this unique cemetery."

"We want to thank Senator Boxer for raising Azerbaijan's desecration of the Djulfa cemetery with Ambassador Designate Derse," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We were deeply troubled by the silence of the U.S. Embassy on this issue during the tenure of her predecessor, Reno Harnish, and remain hopeful that, despite her evasive response, Anne Derse will prove a more vocal and effective advocate for the core American values of tolerance and respect for cultural heritage. She can start off on the right foot by personally visiting Djulfa during her first month in office."

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.