Azerbaijan Pursues Heritage Restitution Work With Interpol, UNESCO - Official

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 17. Several projects are underway under the auspices of Interpol and UNESCO to address the damage inflicted on religious and cultural heritage in territories liberated from occupation, the removal of cultural property from monuments, as well as issues of attribution and restitution, Saadat Yusifova, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan said, Trend 's correspondent reports.

She made the announcement at a conference on“Preservation of Historical and Religious Monuments: Challenges and Prospects”

Yusifova noted that illegal interference with historical and religious monuments during the occupation necessitates addressing several issues under international law.

“This, in turn, requires clarifying several issues under international law and raising questions of attribution and restitution. Work is already underway in this area within the framework of Interpol and UNESCO,” the deputy minister noted.

According to S. Yusifova, the analysis shows that in the territories liberated from occupation, 68 monuments were destroyed, while 114 monuments suffered damage of varying degrees and scale. Other monuments also sustained damage of varying degrees, and incidents of misappropriation and vandalism were recorded.

The deputy minister reported that the inventory of 130 monuments registered with the state in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur has not yet been completed. The main reason for this is the presence of landmines in these territories.

She noted that the inventory revealed that 9 tombs, 3 cemeteries, and 7 mosques registered with the state had been destroyed, while 25 mosques, 14 tombs, and 2 crypts had sustained damage of varying degrees.

Noting that damage had also been inflicted on Christian religious heritage, Yusifova pointed out that one church had been destroyed in the liberated territories, while 20 churches had sustained damage of varying degrees.

Yusifova also noted that during the occupation, illegal interventions and fraudulent restoration work were carried out at the Khudaveng Monastery, and frescoes and crosses were dismantled and removed from the site. According to the deputy minister, there were also documented cases of bones being removed from graves at the Khudaveng and Ganjaasar complexes.

The deputy minister reported that last year, 4 mosques, 7 mausoleums, 4 monasteries, and 13 churches were registered in the liberated territories.

She noted that, in accordance with Resolution No. 132, adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers in 2001, 423 mosques, 213 mausoleums, 163 cemeteries, and 222 churches and temples throughout the country were placed under state protection. This process is still ongoing.

In addition, Yusifova spoke about the work being done to inventory the historical and religious heritage in the liberated territories. The deputy minister reported that since November 13, 2020, the Cultural Heritage Service under the Ministry of Culture has conducted an inventory of a total of 575 monuments, including 196 in the city of Shusha.

According to her, the process is not limited to assessing the current condition of the monuments. As part of the inventory, field surveys are being conducted, and digital maps of the monuments are being created.

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