Thursday, November 30 2023 14:56

ArmInfo.After the forced displacement of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, more than 5,000  monuments and more than 20 museums have been faced with an existential threat in the territories under the control of Azerbaijan, Armenia's Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan said at her meeting with Mr Rafik Mansour, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Bureau of Educational and  Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State.  Attending the meeting was also U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien. 

Ms Andreasyan emphasized the importance of Armenian-American  cooperation. "We have effective cooperation in various areas, there  are also new programs, which demonstrates the quality of our  partnership and the potential that can be used," the minister noted.

She, in particular, pointed to effective cooperation in protecting  cultural heritage. The minister recalled the memorandum signed by the  US Embassy in the Republic of Armenia in order to preserve and  restore the Yereruyk Cathedral in Shirak region. Ms Andreasyan noted  that such initiatives are very important.

"These days, the issue of preserving the cultural heritage of  Nagorno-Karabakh is especially important for us. We believe that in  this regard there is a serious need for international instruments and  efforts. Moreover, the problem concerns both tangible and intangible  Armenian cultural heritage. The most important step towards  preserving the tangible cultural heritage, an international  fact-finding mission will be sent to the region, which will be able  to record the situation with the monuments on the spot," Ms  Andreasyan said, emphasizing that the problem worsened after the  events of September 19, 2023, when the local Armenian population was  forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, as a result which put more  than 5,000 monuments and more than 20 museums under threat.

According to the minister, since 2020 it has not been possible to  send an international fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh, which  could document the situation related to cultural heritage. Minister  Andreasyan noted that it is necessary to increase international  awareness of the problem.

The minister emphasized that the issue of preserving the rich  intangible cultural heritage is also a serious problem, since  forcibly displaced citizens from Nagorno-Karabakh have now settled in  various regions of the Republic of Armenia.

Ms Andreasyan also touched upon bilateral cooperation in the field of  education, noting that there are successful programs, the results of  which are more than noticeable. The Minister pointed out the  importance of the participation of US and Armenian citizens in  educational exchange programs funded by the US government. "Last week  we celebrated the 30th anniversary of one of the successful exchange  programs - FLEX, which has had a significant qualitative impact on  the lives of more than 1000 participants. I also emphasize our  cooperation in the field of inclusive education, where we have very  important results. I think there are excellent prerequisites for  continuing our work in all these areas," the minister said.

Mr Mansour, in turn, noted that after his last visit to our country,  he noticed a number of changes and positive trends. He welcomed the  expansion of bilateral cooperation, pointing out much greater  potential for development. He mentioned a number of jointly  implemented educational and cultural programs.

The US Embassy in Armenia recently announced the launch of a new  exchange program for Armenian journalists. According to Mr Mansour,  under Armenian-American Journalists Professional Cooperation Program,  54 Armenian journalists will have the opportunity to visit the United  States to participate in training programs that will improve their  skills in eliminating disinformation and preparing quality  journalistic publications.

Ms Andreasyan emphasized the importance of such initiatives,  emphasizing that the role of media literacy is especially important  from the point of view of the new state standards of general  education, and this will undoubtedly contribute to the provision of  quality media and professional education.

Mr Mansour also emphasized the importance of joining efforts to  preserve the cultural heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh.