ArmInfo. Armenia will accede to the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. At an extraordinary session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia on July 3, discussions are underway on the relevant document submitted by the Armenian government for ratification.
In her speech, RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan noted that the Convention was adopted on November 2, 2001, and entered into force on January 2, 2009. The adoption of the document is driven by the need to preserve underwater cultural heritage as an integral part of the common cultural heritage of humanity. Underwater cultural heritage is of great importance for the study of peoples, civilizations, and historical processes, as it includes the material remains of human activity that have been preserved in the aquatic environment for a long time. The purpose of the Convention is to ensure and enhance the protection of underwater cultural heritage.
Underwater cultural heritage refers to all traces of human existence, whether cultural, historical, or archaeological, that have been partially or completely, periodically or continuously underwater for at least 100 years. According to the Convention, States Parties, individually or jointly, shall, as appropriate, take all necessary measures to protect underwater cultural heritage, using the best practical means available for this purpose.
According to the Convention, underwater cultural heritage must not be commercially exploited, sold, or fragmented, and its study and use must be carried out in the scientific, educational, cultural, and public interests.
The Minister noted that the preservation of underwater cultural heritage is also an important issue for Armenia. According to experts in this field, Lake Sevan and several other bodies of water in the Republic of Armenia contain cultural layers that require protection under the Convention. The Minister attached great importance to Armenia's accession to the Convention.
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