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Azerbaijan 'vandalised' sacred Armenian sites

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  • Azerbaijan 'vandalised' sacred Armenian sites

    Azerbaijan 'vandalised' sacred Armenian sites

    The Independent - United Kingdom; May 30, 2006
    Stephen Castle in Brussels

    Fears that Azerbaijan has systematically destroyed hundreds of
    500-year-old Christian artefacts have exploded into a diplomatic row,
    after Euro MPs were barred from inspecting an ancient Armenian burial
    site.

    The predominantly Muslim country's government has been accused of
    "flagrant vandalism" similar to the Taliban's demolition of the
    Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan.

    The claims centre on the fate of rare khachkars, stone crosses carved
    with intricate floral designs, at the burial ground of Djulfa in the
    Nakhichevan region of Azerbaijan, an enclave separated from the rest
    of the country by Armenia.

    The works - some of the most important examples of Armenian heritage -
    are said to have been smashed with sledgehammers last December as the
    site was concreted over.

    The Azerbaijan government, which denies the claims, is now at the
    centre of a row with MEPs, some of whom it accused of a "biased and
    hysterical approach". Its ambassador to the EU also says the European
    Parliament has ignored damage to Muslim sites in Armenia. Azerbaijan
    refused to allow a delegation of Euro MPs permission to visit the
    1,500-year-old Djulfa cemetery during their trip to the region last
    month.

    Most of the original 10,000 khachkars, most of which date from the
    15th and 16th centuries, were destroyed by the early 20th century,
    leaving probably fewer than 3,000 by the late 1970s. According to the
    International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos), the Azerbaijan
    government removed 800 khachkars in 1998. Though the destruction was
    halted following protests from Unesco, it resumed four years later. By
    January 2003 "the 1,500-year-old cemetery had completely been
    flattened," Icomos says.

    Witnesses, quoted in the Armenian press, say the final round of
    vandalism was unleashed in December last year by Azerbaijani soldiers
    wielding sledgehammers.

    The president of Icomos, Michael Petzet, said: "Now that all traces of
    this highly important historic site seem to have been extinguished all
    we can do is mourn the loss and protest against this totally senseless
    destruction." Some MEPs believe that, boosted by its oil revenues,
    Azerbaijan is adopting an increasingly assertive stance in the region.

    Charles Tannock, Conservative foreign affairs

    spokesman in the European parliament, said: "This is very similar to
    the Buddha statues destroyed by the Taliban. They have concreted the
    area over and turned it into a military camp. If they have nothing to
    hide then we should be allowed to inspect the terrain. It was a major
    cultural and heritage site which was revered by the Armenian Christian
    community."

    When MEPs passed a critical resolution in February, Azerbaijan's
    Foreign Minister, Elmar Mammad-yarov, made a formal protest. Then,
    when the parliament's delegation for relations with Armenia,
    Azerbaijan and Georgia asked to combine a mission to Armenia with a
    visit to the Djulfa archaeological site, their request was refused.

    The Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly hopes to visit the site
    and its secretary general has offered to set up an expert group to
    examine cultural sites in Azerbaijan and Armenia. MEPs insist that the
    authorities in Azerbaijan should open their doors if they have nothing
    to hide.

    Hannes Swoboda, an Austrian socialist MEP and member of the committee
    barred from examining the site, said he hoped a visit could be
    arranged in the autumn. He added: "If they do not allow us to go, we
    have a clear hint that some- thing bad has happened. If something is
    hidden we want to ask why. It can only be because some of the
    allegations are true."

    And he warned: "One of the major elements of any country that wants to
    come close to Europe is that the cultural heritage of neighbours is
    respected."
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