Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend S.Agayeva / The date is being co-ordinated for the visit of the UNESCO mission for the study of architectural and historical monuments to the region to become familiar with the situation of the monuments destroyed and ruined as a result of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The visit may take place by the end of the year, Azerbaijan's permanent representative to the UNESCO, Eleonora Huseynova, reported to Trend by telephone from Paris on 23 November.
Azerbaijan called on to UNESCO to begin close co-operation to prevent further destruction of the monuments in the occupied Azerbaijani territories and in Armenia. This challenge was made by the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov, at the UNESCO General Assembly. " Azerbaijan expects UNESCO's interference," Mammadyarov said.
The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since 1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful negotiations.
In the occupied Azerbaijani territories, the Armenian Armed Forces destroyed 1,421 cultural buildings, 15 city cultural buildings and 503 village cultural buildings and clubs, 8 district libraries, 32 city libraries, 10 children's libraries and 683 village libraries, 6 cultural parks and rest areas; 47 music schools for children, 3 theatres, 3 galleries; 464 historical monuments, nearly 40,000 historical artefacts and 4.6 mln books.
Huseynova said that there are no obstacles from the Azerbaijani sides for the visit to take place. The UNESCO experts should look into the situation regarding the monuments in occupied Azerbaijani territories and Nakchivan, where according to rumours by the Armenians, the Armenian historical monuments are being destroyed.
International organizations made an appeal to Baku to receive permission to study the situation with the historical monuments in Nakchvan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani side gave its consent.
From the Azerbaijani side, there are no obstacles for the visit to Nakchivan. "We welcome and call for the implementation of this visit," the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan reported to Trend earlier.