UNESCO OBJECTS TO JOUGHA REFERENCE AT “KHACHKAR” EXHIBIT
Seda Grigoryan
hetq
10:56, June 16, 2011
Just hours before today’s opening of an exhibit on Armenian stone
crosses at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the Armenian delegation
was thrown into a panic when organizers started to remove all place
names and informational map, as well as a photo of the Armenian
cemetery in Jougha after the stone crosses had been destroyed by the
Azerbaijani government.
The hall was packed with invited busts to participate in the opening
ceremony of the exhibit billed as “Art of the Stone Cross – Armenian
Holy Stones”.
When I talked to Arev Samvelyan, RA Deputy Minister of Culture, he
said that UNESCO officials not only found any mention of Armenian
crosses in Turkey and Azerbaijan objectionable but references to
crosses in Karabakh as well.
The Armenian delegation gave in on the Jougha issue but insisted on
keeping the photo of the Armenian cemetery before the destruction of
hundreds of stone crosses.
In response, UNESCO staffers removed the organization’s official
flag from the exhibit hall and didn’t show for the opening ceremony,
claiming that they were otherwise engaged.
Commenting on the last minute flap, art historian Patrick Donabedian
said, “I just want to underline that today UNESCO is far removed from
fulfilling its stated mission. They wanted to remove my exhibit just
because the word Jougha was in the text.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
