UNESCO Objects to Jugha Reference at Khachkar Exhibit
PARIS (HETQ) — Just hours before the opening of an exhibit on Armenian stone crosses at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters here on June 16, the organizers removed all place names and an informational map, as well as a photo of the Armenian cemetery in Jugha after the stone crosses had been destroyed by the Azerbaijani government.
The exhibit is titled “Art of the Stone Cross: Armenian Holy Stones.”
Arev Samvelyan, Armenia’s deputy minister of culture, said UNESCO officials not only found any mention of Armenian crosses in Turkey and Azerbaijan objectionable but references to crosses in Karabagh as well.
The Armenian delegation gave in on the Jugha 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 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 Jugha was in the text.”
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Dear Sir, Madam,
Following your article about the exhibition, ‘The art of Khachkars – Armenian cross-stones’, organized by the Permanent Delegation of Armenia to UNESCO at the Organisation’s Headquarters from 15 to 24 June, UNESCO would like to take the opportunity to point out some fundamental errors in the story and state clearly that it did not cesor this event in any way..
When Armenia ratified the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006, the country recognized ‘the invaluable role of the intangible cultural heritage as a factor in bringing human beings closer together and ensuring exchange and understanding among them’.
In nominating the symbolism and craftsmanship of the Khachkars for inscription on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Armenia also committed to promote a heritage and craftmanship that are shared by different cultures and different countries. It further asserted that ‘inscription of the element will contribute to ensuring visibility and awareness of the significance of the intangible cultural heritage and to encouraging dialogue’.
It was in this spirit that UNESCO welcomed the initiative of the Permanent Delegation to present an exhibition that would focus on the symbolism and craftsmanship of these important cultural expressions.
When an activity taking place at UNESCO headquarters involves other countries, it is standard practice that prior consultation with those countries should be undertaken. Unfortunately, this key condition was not fulfilled in the case of the Armenian exhibition.
After examining the items proposed for the exhibition, it appeared that certain elements might undermine the spirit of international understanding and cooperation that underpins all of UNESCO’s work, or go beyond the strict mandate of the Organization.
As a result, the Permanent Delegation of Armenia agreed to remove these elements. UNESCO itself did not “censor” any information, nor did it deny any historical fact. It tried to work closely with the Armenian authorities to avoid an unnecessary politization of a cultural activity.
At all times during the preparatory phases of the exhibition, the UNESCO Secretariat has strictly followed the rules and procedures applicable to all Member States, and spared no effort to ensure the success of the event.
We regret that you have been misinformed and trust that this explanation will reassure you that UNESCO is unwavering in its commitment to international understanding, dialogue, and mutual respect.