International conference “Protection of Religious and Cultural heritage in the Caucasus”
The joint international conference “Protection of
Religious and Cultural heritage in the Caucasus” was held on December 4, 2015
by the Scientific-research Institute on Human Rights of ANAS and the State
Committee on Work with the Religious Institutions. The main objective of the
event was the discussions about the state of a cultural and religious monuments
in the territory of the Caucasus, and the atrocities committed against these
monuments so far.
Mrs. Aytan Mustafayeva, the director of the Institute on Human Rights
of ANAS, doctor of law, member of Parliament firstly has talked about the
atrocities committed against the monuments in the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan and mentioned the importance
to inform the world about the brutal acts of Armenians.
Mr. Mubariz Gurbanli, the chairman of the State
Committee on Work with the Religious Institutions of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, doctor of philosophy in history has stated that the territory of
the Caucasus historically was the place of coexistence, in particular,
Azerbaijan has become an example of tolerance in the world for its multicultural
values. In his speech he mentioned that
the monuments belonging to different religions and ethnic minorities are under
the special protection as a part of world cultural heritage in Azerbaijan,
however it is not seen the same attitude toward monuments under the Armenian
occupation.
Then the short film “Armenian vandalism in the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan” has been demonstrated at the event. Mr.
Faig Ismayilov, the chairman of Public Union “Organization of Protection of
Historical and Cultural Monuments in the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan”,
researcher-expert has talked about brutal destruction of the Christian and
Islamic monuments in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in his speech. Mr.
Robert Mobili, the head of Azerbaijani Albania-Udi Christian Community, senior
research fellow of Baku State University had a speech on the topic “Udis and
Albanian church in the multicultural entourage of Azerbaijan”. Mr. Anar Isgandarov, director of the
department of Sources studies, historiography and methodology of BSU, professor
brought to attention the information, documents and facts about the destroyed
historical monuments in Baku and other uyezds of Azerbaijan during March
massacre in 1918. Mr. Agil Shirinov, lecturer at Baku State University, doctor of philosophy in theology focused on
the history of formation of the cultural-religous diversity in the Caucasus.
Mr. Rizvan Huseynov, research fellow of the Institute
on Human Rights of ANAS mentioned the terror acts to cultural-religious in the
territories of Iraq and Syria by ISIS and compared these acts to terror acts in
the Caucasus by the Armenians. Mr. Anné H. Verhoef, from North-West University
of South Africa attended the conference and presented the topic “Ongoing human
rights violations: Similarities between issues of land occupation in South
Africa due to Apartheid and in Azerbaijan as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict”.
During the discussions, the importance of the
protection and passing on to future generations of cultural and religious
monuments in the territory of the Caucasus was mentioned and the participants
expressed their views on the issues discussed and proposed.
Mrs. Mustafayeva and Mr. Gurbanli in the concluding
remarks stated that the terror acts committed against the monuments should be
assessed as violence against the humanity regardless the location and
emphasized the importance of joint efforts of the international community
against it!
Members of the Parliament of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, representatives of ministries and committees, scientists,
researchers, and representatives of mass media attended the event.
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