Lusine Avanesyan
Public Radio of Armenia
Stepanakert

The issue of protection of the cultural heritage in unrecognized republics should be on the agenda, head of the Tigranakert archaeological excavation group Hamlet Petrosyan said at the sitting of the Intergovernmental Archaeological Commission in Stepanakert.

He said the documents adopted by UNESCO ignore the cultural rights of the people living in unrecognized republics.

Despite the legislative difficulties, foreign specialists participate in Artsakh expeditions, Petrosyan said.

He added that the Azokh expedition is international, and specialists form 22 universities of the world are involved in the research on the items discovered in Azokh. The 15-volume work on excavation works will be published this year.

The Commission traditionally holds its annual sittings on April 18, the International Day for Monuments and Sites. This year plans could change because of the military actions unleashed by Azerbaijan. However, the archaeological findings unearthed by soldier digging new trenches prompted the decision not to delay the meeting.