U.S. AMBASSADOR DESIGNATE TO AZERBAIJAN RESPONDS TO SEN. BOXER’S
CONCERNS ON DJULFA CEMETERY DESTRUCTION
WASHINGTON, DC 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, this week, but refrained from pledging any
concrete commitment to investigate the matter, reports 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.”
In December of 2005, approximately 200 Azerbaijani soldiers 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:
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