ARMENIAN CULTURE MINISTER: US FUNDING WITHDRAWAL WILL NOT HINDER UNESCO WORK
Al-Masry Al-Youm
Nov 10 2011
Egypt
Armenian Minister of Culture and Youth Affairs Hasmik Poghosyan said
Thursday that the United States’ decision to stop contributing to the
UNESCO budget following the organization’s recognition of Palestine,
will not affect its work negatively.
Poghosyan said her country was among those who overwhelmingly voted
in October in support of making Palestine a UNESCO member.
The US contributes 22 percent of UNESCO’s budget and said after the
vote that it was bound by law not to fund any United Nations body
that accepts Palestine as a member.
On the sidelines of signing a cultural cooperation protocol among Egypt
and Armenia, Poghosyan said “UNESCO had earlier witnessed a harder
situation when Washington withdrew from the organization rejecting
withdrawal of Israeli membership. However, it continued its work to
boost cultural relationships and preserving international heritage.”
UNESCO will not be affected by the halt of US, Canadian and Israeli
funding, she added, saying work will resume. Russia increased its
support for the organization following Washington’s decision.
UNESCO selected the Armenian capital Yerevan as the 2012 world’s
capital for books on the 500th anniversary of Armenia’s first
publication. Poghosyan invited her Egyptian counterpart to attend
the celebration that will be held in Venice, Italy in December.
Translated from the Arabic Edition