Ambassador: France reaffirms its commitment to sending UNESCO  monitoring mission to Nagorno- Karabakh

ArmInfo. France reaffirms its commitment to sending a UNESCO monitoring mission to  Nagorno-Karabakh, a decision that is supported by all member states of the Francophonie. This was stated   by Olivier Decottignies, the French Ambassador to Armenia, on November 5  at the conference  "Silent Witnesses of History", held in the Avetik Isahakyan House-Museum in Yerevan as part of the "Recording and Preservation of Armenian Cultural Heritage" program.

The French Ambassador emphasized that the preservation of Armenian  cultural heritage involves not only material protection, but also the  collective transmission of memory, which helps to strengthen the  identity of the people. "By coming together with a common goal, we  are reaffirming our commitment to preserving this heritage. This  commitment was expressed a month ago during a meeting with  representatives from Francophonie countries, where they clearly  stated their position on peace and the realization of the fundamental  rights of the forcibly displaced people of Nagorno-Karabakh," added  Decottighnies.

He also mentioned that during the OIF summit, a decision was made  regarding crisis situations and ways out of them, as well as the  importance of maintaining peace. In this context, special attention  was given to the preservation of the Armenian cultural heritage.  "We  are deeply concerned about the recent events in Nagorno-Karabakh and  call for full compliance with the Hague Convention for the Protection  of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, adopted in 1954.  France remains close to Armenia, and our involvement also concerns  the preservation of the Armenian cultural heritage," Decottignies  concluded.

Note that the "Documentation and Preservation of Armenian Cultural  Heritage" program is an academic initiative aimed at collecting and  documenting Armenian monuments that are in danger of disappearing.   The program is implemented by the "Hishatakaran" NGO operating in  Armenia. The program is financed by the ALIPH and Calouste Gulbenkian  foundations and is coordinated by the INALCO Foundation. An important  aspect of the program is its collaboration with the INALCO National  Institute of Oriental Languages and Cultures, which has been teaching  Armenian language and culture since 1798.