Azeris In Their Natural Behavior > Destroying In Nakhitchevan

[Dave]

Armenians stage protest demonstration in Ottawa

 

http://www.horizonweekly.ca/images/news/1502.jpg

 

27.02.2006 13:09

 

YEREVAN (YERKIR) - The Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s(ARF) Canada Youth Organization and the Armen Karo Student Organization organized a demonstration on February 24 in Ottawa, Canada, to protest against the criminal anti-Armenian policies of Azerbaijan.

 

About a hundred Armenians from Montreal, Laval, Toronto, Cambridge and Ottawa were present. The protestors gathered outside the UNESCO office demanding that the UNESCO interfere and condemn the barbaric destrucion of the Armenian khachkars in Julfa, Nakhijevan.

 

Mher Garagashian spoke on behalf of the ARF Central Committee of Canada. Then Lori Janapazian and Harut Bakarian spoke in English and French. “We expect that such crimes perpetrated by Azerbaijan against the Armenian cultural heritage should be condemned. This heritage belongs to not only the Armenian people but the entire mankind.”

 

Later, the demonstrators handed a memorandum to the UNESCO headquarters and then went to the Azerbaijani embassy. Raffi Sargisian and Harut Bekarian spoke here.

 

The protesters tried to submit a memorandum but the Azerbaijani embassy employees did not contact them. The memorandum was handed to the police officers, who took it to the embassy.

[hytga]

Council of Europe fact-finding mission will monitor monuments in Armenia and Azerbaijan

 

[ 04 Mar. 2006 16:34 ]

 

“We want that Council of Europe fact-finding mission monitor cultural and historical monuments not only in Azerbaijan’s occupied territories but also in Armenia-in the regions where Azerbaijanis lived once,” Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told journalists (APA).

 

Azerbaijan has recently asked the Council of Europe to send its Fact-Finding Mission to investigate the destruction of Azerbaijani monuments in the territories occupied by Armenia. Following that, Armenia applied to several international organizations, including the Council of Europe regarding the alleged destruction of Armenian monuments in Azerbaijani province of Nakhchivan.

Armenian sources wrote that the Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis said in his reply to Armenian parliament speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan that the fact-finding mission will be sent to Nakhchivan and Nagorno Garabagh. However, Mr.Mammadyarov said that it has not yet been decided in Strasbourg.

“Both Nakhchivan and Nagorno Garabagh are parts of Azerbaijan. So, the fact-finding mission should monitor the monuments in Armenia too,” Mammadyarov said./APA/

http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=6909

 

well you've probably read the news, but the rediculus part, as always is the application of the so called "ballance" from the so called "civilized west". They've been doing such reports about karabakh about all kinds of accusations from azerbaijan. Ranging from drugs, trafficing, sponsoring terrorism, making wmd's to CIA jails, illegal settlements. None of them have turned out to or could possibly correspond to reality. And they keep doing it.

Let them do it, though, as long as they really condemn the Azeri part when they witness the destruction. The more they do it actually, the better for us. After a while they'll get tired of the Azeri whining about things that never happend. And then maybe they'll start ignoring those azverushkas.

[Arpa]

And, here is the Armenian version.

 

http://www.azg.am/?lang=EN&num=2006030402

 

CE TO SEND FACT-FINDING MISSION TO NAKHIJEVAN AND NAGORNO KARABAKH

On occasion of barbaric destruction of Armenian ancient cemetery of Old Jugha Armenian parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian sent a letter to secretary general of the Council of Europe Terry Davis calling on him to stop destruction.

In his response to the letter Davis noted that the CE is sending a fact-finding mission to Nakhijevan and Nagorno Karabakh to study everything on the ground, parliament’s PR department of informed daily Azg.

 

Yeah, yeah! Let them send a “mission”(mi shun).

Those Ottoman bastards, bastards of the Ottomans, aka Eurpopeans, whose only memory of "ottoman" is a pillow under one's feet. How soon they forget all the massacres, rape and pillage. Who are so sacred that their churches may be torched and burned by the co-religionists of the Turk!!

Why do they eve allow them to immigrate? Cheap labor? Did not the Roman Empire end in demise when the fat Romans opted for "cheap labor", be they European, African or Asian??

They will probably rule out that those khachkars are some kind of Azeri/Turkish/Islamic symbols.

Edited March 4, 2006 by Arpa

[Yervant1]

And, here is the Armenian version.

 

http://www.azg.am/?lang=EN&num=2006030402

 

CE TO SEND FACT-FINDING MISSION TO NAKHIJEVAN AND NAGORNO KARABAKH

On occasion of barbaric destruction of Armenian ancient cemetery of Old Jugha Armenian parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian sent a letter to secretary general of the Council of Europe Terry Davis calling on him to stop destruction.

In his response to the letter Davis noted that the CE is sending a fact-finding mission to Nakhijevan and Nagorno Karabakh to study everything on the ground, parliament’s PR department of informed daily Azg.

 

Yeah, yeah! Let them send a “mission”(mi shun).

Those Ottoman bastards, bastards of the Ottomans, aka Eurpopeans, whose only memory of "ottoman" is a pillow under one's feet. How soon they forget all the massacres, rape and pillage. Who are so sacred that their churches may be torched and burned by the co-religionists of the Turk!!

Why do they eve allow them to immigrate? Cheap labor? Did not the Roman Empire end in demise when the fat Romans opted for "cheap labor", be they European, African or Asian??

They will probably rule out that those khachkars are some kind of Azeri/Turkish/Islamic symbols.

Arpa most probably their findings will conclude that the khachkars are fossil fuel. They will thank the azeri savages for breaking them, at the same time they will be very dissapointed that the pieces are not small enough to get the oil out of it.

[MosJan]

MEETING IN NEW JUGHA TO PROTEST DESTRUCTION OF ARMENIAN MONUMENTS IN AZERBAIJAN

 

*

 

On February 28, the hall of Ararat Union of New Jugha, a quarter in Iranian city of Isfahan, held a meeting to protest the barbaric acts of the Azerbaijani government in Nakhijevan.

 

All participants – head of the Armenian diocese in Isfahan, religious councils, the AGBU and branches of Armenian organizations – condemned such barbarism and sacrilege. Noel Minasian of Hay Dat stated in his speech that such acts trample on human dignity and collective memory.

 

By the end of the gathering the participants demanded from the UN, UNESCO, the European Parliament and other international structures to condemn destruction of cultural monuments on political or other grounds.

* By Tamar Minasian

[Arpa]

Arpa most probably their findings will conclude that the khachkars are fossil fuel. They will thank the azeri savages for breaking them, at the same time they will be very dissapointed that the pieces are not small enough to get the oil out of it.

 

That is reminiscent of the old Armenian adage; Քարեն հաց կը հանէ/Extracts bread from stone, like as we have been doing for a long time. Reminds me of the time when my dear friend Hrach, when confronted with "Քարեն հաց կը հաներ", said; "Ես ալ հացէն քար կը հանեմ".

Speaking of which, whatever happened to “Tufa/Տուֆ” that we are converting Yerevan to a city of glass and plastic

Whoever changed that adage to “Qaren yugh k@ haneh/ Քարեն իւղ կը հանէ”

Edited March 4, 2006 by Arpa

[Yervant1]

That is reminiscent of the old Armenian adage; Քարեն հաց կը հանէ/Extracts bread from stone, like as we have been doing for a long time. Reminds me of the time when my dear friend Hrach, when confronted with "Քարեն հաց կը հաներ", said; "Ես ալ հացէն քար կը հանեմ".

Speaking of which, whatever happened to “Tufa/Տուֆ” that we are converting Yerevan to a city of glass and plastic

Whoever changed that adage to “Qaren yugh k@ haneh/ Քարեն իւղ կը հանէ”

Armenia halted usage of Tufa when Turkey (not the bird) complained about the explosions near Ani ruins. Turkey was claiming that the explosions were harming the foundations of historic treasures, as if they cared in this case Turkere karen averag hanetsin.

[MosJan]

BAKU TRIES TO AZERBAIJANIZE IRANIAN POETS

 

*

 

“Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami’s writing that Nizami Ganjavi is a Persian poet is true. Nizami wrote and created his works in Persian, he didn’t have even one work in Azerbaijani,” Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Afshar Suleymani told journalists. Expressing his support for the former Iranian president’s stance that Nizami is a Persian poet, Suleymani also said there is no evidence to prove that Nizami wrote in Azerbaijani. “Nizami didn’t write in Azerbaijani. Nizami wrote in Persian but these poems were translated into Azerbaijani later,” the Ambassador said. The Iranian ambassador also claimed that Shahriyar is not an Azerbaijani poet either, reports APA. Azerbaijanization of Persian culture and art workers began in Azerbaijan in 60s, when Heydar Aliyev came to power first as Chairman of the KGB in Azerbaijan, and later as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan.

[MosJan]

AZERIS ARE SURPRISED HOW ARMENIANS MANAGED TO GET PHOTOS OF JUGHA RIFLE RANGE

 

The Azeri printed media has responded to the recent publication the photos that depicted the new rifle range that replaced the Jugha medieval khachkars in the Armenian newspapers. In particular, "Zerkalo" newspaper relentlessly denies the fact that over 10.000 medieval cross stones were gathered in the Armenian graveyard in Old Jugha (Nakhijevan).

 

The newspaper poses two questions: firstly, they wonder whether the news on destruction of the Armenian cross stones and construction of military range on that territory are true. Secondly, they try hard to understand how the Armenians managed to get the photos of the range, if it belongs to the Azeri army.

 

Tair Taghizade, press secretary of the Azeri Foreign Ministry, stated that Azerbaijan has no official information that would prove that the abovementioned range belongs to Azerbaijan. Taghizade also stated that even if the information is confirmed one should not be surprised, as any independent state has the right to carry out military arrangements in its territory. Denying the fact of destruction of Armenian khachkars without pressing any arguments, he said that the Armenian side tries to deceive the international community.

 

While the Azeri Defense Ministry totally excludes that the range belongs to the Azeri army. They added that they have certain doubts about the territory as well, as the photos could be results of montage. This brilliant idea occurred to retired colonel-lieutenant Ouzeir Jafarov. He added that the range is situated in Meghri region of Armenia, while the photos are shot from the territory of Iran. He grounded the last factors with the supposition that everything was done within the framework of Iran-Armenia cooperation.

 

By Aghavni Harutyunian

[MosJan]

RUSSIAN LEADERS ARE URGED TO CENSURE VANDALISM IN NAKHICHEVAN

 

*

 

Armenian Cultural Monuments in Nakhichevan Subject to Azerbaijan's Vandalism round table was held in Moscow March 20. Leaders of various organizations took part in the panel: Victor Krivopuskov (Society for Friendship and Cooperation with Armenia), Sergey Abgaryan (Nakhichevan Moscow Armenian Association), Yuri Navoyan (Russian-Armenian Commonwealth), Emanuil Dolbakyan (Ararat Armenian Cultural-Enlightening Association), reports the Yerkramas, the newspaper of Armenians of Russia. Participants of the meeting adopted a Statement, which censures barbaric destruction of Armenian historical and architectural monuments in Old Julfa town in Nakhichevan, Azerbaijan, carried out by Baku authorities in December 2005. «There were some 8 thousand Armenian khachkars (cross stones) in Old Julfa in early 20th century, when historical Armenian province of Nakhichevan was part of the Russian Empire and then the Republic of Armenia. During Nakhichevan being part of the Soviet Azerbaijan over 4 thousand of these masterpieces of world architecture were destroyed. Vandalism was stopped owing to UNESCO efforts since 1998. However, now when Russia, US and France – co-chairs of the OSCE MG for Karabakh settlement, the OSCE, EU and other international organizations search for ways to solve the Nagorno Karabakh issue, official Baku impudently completes vandalism in Nakhichevan, in spite of international community's humanist efforts,» the Statement says. The Statement authors are also outraged that Azerbaijan pursues state policy of forging history of Russia, Armenia, the Caucasian regions as a whole, thus deliberately misleading its people and the international community, which runs counter to conventional human norms of preservation of cultural legacy, UN Convention of 1948 and is an act of genocide. «We address the state leaders, political and public figures of Russian, Russian Orthodox Church, urging them to immediately censure the vandalism and demand that Azeri authorities strictly observe conventional international norms and commitments to preserve the cultural and historical legacy of other peoples in the country in compliance with international conventions and commitments,» the Statement notes.

[MosJan]

GRAVEYARD OF TURKISH SHAHIDS IN NAKHIJEVAN

 

*

 

On March 20 in Ordubad, Nakhijevan, Azeri and Turkish officials staged the opening of a graveyard of perished Turkish soldiers "who died fighting against Armenian". Turkey’s general consul to Nakhijevan, Ismail Safa Yujeer, military attaché Mehmed Torun, colonel Jelaletdin Bajanli as well as deputy mayor of Ordubad Itibar Ismailov took part in the ceremony, Turkish Zaman newspaper reports.

 

In his speech during the ceremony colonel Bajanli reminded the words of Kemal Ataturk that Azerbaijan’s pain is our pain, its joy is our joy and said, "Let no one doubt that the Turkish nation and the Turkish armed forces will always stand beside the Azeri brothers."

 

Zaman also indicates that the killed soldiers were the troops of Nuri ***** sent to Nakhijevan during WW I.

* By Hakob Chakrian

[hytga]

so they're admitting that it was in armenian hands before?

[MosJan]

UNESCO EXPERT TO STUDY DESTRUCTION OF ARMENIAN KHACHKARS

 

UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura expressed readiness to send a group of experts to Nakhijevan to study the site of destruction of ancient Armenian monuments. Last week Chairman of the World Armenian Congress Ara Abrahamyan, being a UNESCO good will Ambassador during an official meeting drew Koichiro Matsuura’s attention to destruction of the Armenian cemetery in Old Jugha by Azerbaijanis. In the words of chair of the European representation of all-Armenian structures, Armenian FM's Advisor Ashot Grigorian, Abrahamyan censured vandalism regarding cultural monuments. Vandalism regarding Christian monuments in Old Jugha entails negative political consequences as well and more destabilizes the political situation in the South Caucasus, Abrahamyan remarked. He also invited Koichiro 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.

 

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[MosJan]

Azeri Authorities Actions in Old Julfa Cannot Be Justified

30.03.2006 23:57 GMT+04:00 Print version Send to mail In Russian In Armenian

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Any destruction of cultural monuments is vandalism. The Armenian cemetery in Old Julfa is the legacy of the humankind and actions of the Azeri authorities cannot be justified, professor Mikhail Meyer, the Director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies of Moscow State University stated in Yerevan at a meeting in the South Caucasian branch of the Caucasus Democracy Institute development foundation. He stated it when commenting at the instance of a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter on the fact of Azerbaijan trying to destroy traces of Armenians’ residence in the territory of current Azerbaijan. In his words, history cannot be revised. «I am not very well familiar with the details, however I am sure there is historical evidence, manuscripts, confirming the fact that Armenians have always lived in Nakhichevan,» Mikhail Meyer said.

[MosJan]

EUROPARLIAMENT MISSION TO VISIT OLD DJULFA IN NAKHICHEVAN

 

*

 

Speaking at an official conference on Thursday, April 6th, the President of the European Parliament was joined by the leaders of its political parties in strongly approving the body's decision to send a delegation in Djulfa, in the Nakhichevan region of Azerbaijan, reports the European Armenian Federation. The aim of the mission is to investigate the destruction by Azerbaijan of the Armenian cemetery in Djulfa, a treasure of world architectural heritage that was effectively destroyed. The EP leaders unanimously decided to entrust this mission to the Commission on EU-Armenia parliamentary cooperation rather than to an ad-hoc delegation, as it had initially been planned. The mission is being sent in accordance with the Parliament's resolution "on cultural heritage in Azerbaijan," which was adopted in February of 2006. This measure “demands that Azerbaijan allow missions, including experts working with ICOMOS, who are dedicated to surveying and protecting archaeological heritage, in particular Armenian heritage, onto its territory.” The delegation will be composed of ten Members of the European Parliament (MEP) who are members of the Commission of EU-Armenia parliamentary cooperation group. They are set to travel to Djulfa as part of their trip to Armenia from April 17th to 21st.

[MosJan]

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SENDS OBSERVERS TO NAKHIJEVAN

 

*

 

The office of the European-Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy informed that most likely the delegation of the European Parliament’s observers will arrive in Nakhijevan in late April. The mission will accumulate facts and information on destruction of medieval Armenian khachkars (cross-stones) of Old Jugha and evidence on turning the territory of the ancient graveyard into a range ground.

 

The European Parliament adopted the relevant decision on April 6. Taking into account the European Parliament’s decision #PG-TA 2006 0069, that demands from Azerbaijan to allow implementation of facts finding mission in the territory of the Armenian archeological monuments, the parliamentarians decided to send EU-Armenia Interparliamentary Commission to carry out the mission. The ten members of the mission will arrive in Armenia on April 17-20 and leave for Nakhijevan after receiving the permission of the Azerbaijani authorities.

[MosJan]

AZERBAIJAN OPPOSES EXAMINATION OF OLD JUGHA CEMETERY BY EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT MISSION

 

*

 

Baku will give consent to the 10 member commission of the European Parliament to examine the site of ancient Armenian cemetery of Old Jugha, Nakhijevan, only on terms of conducting "two-sided examination", AzeriPress agency reports.

 

The president of the European Parliament has recently approved of the initiative to send a mission to survey the site of destruction of Armenian monuments. Azerbaijan voices dissatisfaction with the fact that the EP decided to entrust the mission to Armenia-EP interparliamentary committee instead of setting an ad hoc committee.

 

To date, the European delegation is due to arrive in the region on April 17-21.

* By Aghavni Harutyunian

[MosJan]

HISTORIC GRAVEYARD IS VICTIM OF WAR

 

*

 

Azerbaijan is being blamed for the destruction of a unique cemetery.

 

A MEDIEVAL cemetery regarded as one of the wonders of the Caucasus has been erased from the Earth in an act of cultural vandalism likened to the Taleban blowing up the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan in 2001.

 

The Jugha cemetery was a unique collection of several thousand carved stone crosses on Azerbaijan’s southern border with Iran. But after 18 years of conflict between Azerbaijan and its western neighbour, Armenia, it has been confirmed that the cemetery has vanished. The Institute for War and Peace Reporting, a London-based non-governmental organisation that supports independent journalism, said that one of its staff had recently been to the highly restricted site.

 

Where once stood between 2,700 and 10,000 intricately carved headstones —

 

khachkars — dating from the 9th to the 16th centuries, there was only a dry patch of earth, said the institute (http://www.iwpr.net) ). It was the first independent confirmation of what Armenia has long alleged — that Azerbaijani authorities have razed the cemetery since the two former Soviet republics began a bloody border war in 1988.

 

The war ended in a ceasefire in 1994, with 30,000 dead and a million displaced, but still simmers over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is held by Armenia but internationally recognised as Azerbaijan. Foreign organisations had been unable to visit the cemetery because it is in Nakhichevan, a tiny enclave of Azerbaijan cut off by Armenia and Iran and accessible only by air.

 

Azerbaijan has repeatedly dismissed Armenia’s allegations as scaremongering and in turn accused Armenia of destroying hundreds of Muslim sites. President Aliyev of Azerbaijan angrily dismissed reports about the cemetery’s destruction as "a lie and a provocation" last week.

 

The institute’s revelation now threatens to embarrass him and further cloud the prospects for a lasting peace with Armenia.

 

Vartan Oskanian, the Armenian Foreign Minister, welcomed the report. "The irony is that this destruction has taken place not during a time of war but at a time of peace," he told The Times. There has been clear intent by the Azerbaijanis to eliminate all evidence of Armenian presence on those lands. To do that, unspeakable, irreversible destruction has been wrought and 10,000 tombstones which hold immense religious and artistic significance are simply gone."

 

Tahir Tagizade, a spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, said that there had never been an Armenian cemetery or any other Armenian cultural relics in the area visited by the institute. "As a multi- ethnic society, we are proud of our diverse cultural heritage," he said. "I don’t see any reason for destroying Armenian property, even though we are at war with the Armenians."

 

The report comes as a European Parliament delegation is visiting both countries to look into allegations of attacks on cultural sites. It had hoped to visit the Jugha site, but has yet to be granted permission. Unesco said that it was also ready to send a fact-finding mission but needed permission from the Azeri and Armenian governments. The institute said that there was now a village of about 500 people by the cemetery site. Some of those there said it had been destroyed much earlier, while others disputed that it was Armenian.

 

The report quoted two witnesses as saying that the cemetery had been deliberately destroyed between 1989 and 2002. Argam Aivazian, the leading expert on Armenian monuments in Nakhichevan, said that Jugha had been the largest Armenian cemetery in existence, and a unique example of medieval art. "On the entire territory of Nakhichevan there existed 27,000 monasteries, churches, khachkars, tombstones and other Armenian monuments," he said.

 

They were mostly intact when he visited in 1987. "Today they have all been destroyed."

* By Jeremy Page in Moscow; The Times April 21, 2006

[MosJan]

Photo Exhibition Dedicated to Armenian Monuments Opened in Washington

27.04.2006 00:30 GMT+04:00 Print version Send to mail In Russian In Armenian

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A photo exhibition dedicated to the state of Armenian historical and cultural monuments in Turkey and Nakhichevan opened in the Armenian Embassy in Washington on April 24. Several dozens of photos testify of consistent destruction of Armenian churches and other historical monuments. The exhibition organized by an organization studying the Armenian architecture functions under the slogan “cultural genocide” and draws the attention of the international community to the necessity of protection of Armenian cultural and historical monuments.

 

Opening the exhibition RA Ambassador to the U.S. Tatul Margaryan highly assessed the activities of the Armenian architects and noted that it’s very important today to preserve the tradition of the Armenian architecture for the coming generations and raise the issue of barbarian destruction of the Armenian khachkars in Nakhichevan. The exhibition will function 10 days. It has already been attended by hundreds of Americans including officials, reported the RA MFA press office.

[MosJan]

COMMISSION OF RUSSIA’S PUBLIC CHAMBER CONDEMNS VANDALISM IN NAKHIJEVAN

 

On May 17, the commission on culture and spiritual heritage of Russia’s Public Chamber headed by Metropolit Kliment discussed the alarming issue of annihilation of Armenian monuments in Nakhijevan, Azerbaijan, that was raised at a recent roundtable in Moscow. Despite UNESCO’s efforts, Azerbaijani vandals destroyed the remaining 4.000 khachkars (stone crosses) in New Jugha.

 

According to Yerkramas newspaper, 27.000 Armenian monuments – churches, monasteries and chapels – dated 7-19 century were destroyed during the years of Azerbaijani rule in Nakhijevan. The state-backed vandalism is aimed at wiping away the Armenian trace in Nakhijevan.

 

The commission unanimously condemned the vandalism in New Jugha as well as expressed willingness jointly with other commissions of the Public Chamber to inquire after the state of foreign cultural monuments in Azerbaijan.

[MosJan]

Armenia Shows Its Essence By Destroying Natural Resources of Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan – Minister of Ecology

Source: Trend

Author: S.Babayeva

22.05.2006

 

Armenians show their essence by destroying the natural resources of occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Trend reports quoting the Azerbaijani Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Huseyn Bagirov.

 

According to Bagirov, it is the usual position of Armenian side. “Preventing these cases is not possible because we are living in the war situation. If similar attitude was shown towards people, then environment suffered of such policy a long ago,” he underlined.

 

The Ministry has taken all steps to propagate and inform the society about these facts. “The attitude towards ecology and environment should be unilateral,” said Bagirov

 

Touching upon the question of exploitation of gold mines, located in the Armenian- occupied territory of Azerbaijan by R. V. Investment Bagirov noted that the company should describe its rights to exploit these fields.

 

Azerbaijan expects R. V. Investment to present its rights to exploit and use the natural resources of Azerbaijan. The question should be raised within the legal framework. However, at present, the company doesn’t function.

[MosJan]

Anne Derse Stops Short of Destruction of Armenian Cemetery in Nakhichevan

22.05.2006 18:20 GMT+04:00 Print version Send to mail In Russian In Armenian

/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.”

 

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.”

 

In December of 2005, approximately 200 Azerbaijani forces were videotaped using sledgehammers to demolish the Armenian cemetery in Djulfa, a sacred site of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The cemetery dates back to the 7th Century and once was home to as many as 10,000 khatchkars (intricately carved stone-crosses). An on-line video of the destruction can be viewed at:

[MosJan]

PACE TO EXAMINE MONUMENTS IN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN

 

On May 28, Edward O’Hara, reporter of the PACE’s sub-committee on cultural heritage, will arrive in Baku. According to Baku office of the Council of Europe, the British parliamentarian will examine the state of monuments in Azerbaijan and will head for Yerevan May 31.

 

The initiative of sending PACE representatives to Armenia and Azerbaijan came from CE secretary general Terry Davis after the destruction of Armenian monuments in Nakhijevan late last year. The aim of the delegation is to examine historic and cultural monuments in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

 

Karabakh issue

 

Representatives of mediating states visit region to discuss Kocharian-Aliyev meeting

 

High-ranking diplomats representing the three countries mediating in Nagorno Karabakh issue will visit Baku and Yerevan next week to discuss prospect of Nagorno Karabakh regulation, day.az quoted Pyotr Burdikin, Russian charge' d'affaires in Azerbaijan, as saying.

 

In Russian diplomat’s words, currently the OSCE Minsk Group is working on the soonest regulation of Karabakh issue. As to the visit of European delegation Burdikin thinks that "often involvement of new people helps reveal new approaches." Pyotr Burdikin thinks that progress in the issue is well possible but no one can be sure about the future owing to conflict’s complex nature.

 

According to Russian Foreign Ministry, the delegation will include Russia’s deputy foreign minister Grigori Karasin, assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs Daniel Fried and French Foreign Ministry political director Stanislas de Laboulaye. Besides discussing general issues, delegation members will talk about possible meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents.

 

By Aghavni Hovhannisian

[hytga]

asa dranits ban durs ga. te che vor gnatsin menak naetsin inch?

Mi atian ka vor drants irants tegy dni?

[MosJan]

European Parliament: Azeri Authorities Committed Flagrant Vandalism Act

30.05.2006 19:15 GMT+04:00 Print version Send to mail In Russian

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Fears that Azerbaijan has systematically destroyed hundreds of 500-year-old Christian artefacts have exploded into a diplomatic row, after Euro MPs were barred from inspecting an ancient Armenian burial site, the Independent writes. The predominantly Muslim country's government has been accused of "flagrant vandalism". The claims center on the fate of rare "khachkars", stone crosses carved with intricate floral designs, at the burial ground of Djulfa in the Nakhichevan region of Azerbaijan, an enclave separated from the rest of the country by Armenia. The works - some of the most important examples of Armenian heritage - are said to have been smashed with sledgehammers last December as the site was concreted over. The Azerbaijan government, which denies the claims, is now at the center of a row with MEPs, some of whom it accused of a "biased and hysterical approach".

 

Some MEPs believe that, boosted by its oil revenues, Azerbaijan is adopting an increasingly assertive stance in the region. Charles Tannock, Conservative foreign affairs spokesman in the European parliament, argued: "This is very similar to the Buddha statues destroyed by the Taliban. They have concreted the area over and turned it into a military camp. If they have nothing to hide then we should be allowed to inspect the terrain." Hannes Swoboda, an Austrian socialist MEP and member of the committee barred from examining the site, said he hopes a visit can be arranged in the autumn. He added: "If they do not allow us to go, we have a clear hint that something bad has happened. If something is hidden we want to ask why. It can only be because some of the allegations are true." And he warned: "One of the major elements of any country that wants to come close to Europe is that the cultural heritage of neighbors is respected."