Statement by Ambassador Morningstar on the Preservation of Cultural Heritage

Since my arrival in Baku as Ambassador, I have made an effort to become more familiar with this wonderful country, its people and history. Most recently, I traveled to Nakhchivan, and I have also made visits to Lenkoran, Sheki, Oguz, Quba and Lahij. It has been an opportunity to see this country’s diverse cultural heritage up close, an experience that I think is important for anyone coming to live and work in Azerbaijan.

The history of the region is a difficult one. The Nagorno Karabakh conflict resulted in thousands of deaths and severely altered the physical landscape of the region, including sites of historical, religious and cultural significance.

When I was in Nakhchivan, I discussed at length with local authorities one such site in Julfa, where, according to evidence from credible sources, an ancient Armenian cemetery was desecrated or destroyed. I regret that the authorities, citing security reasons, made it impossible for me to visit the site and personally see what is there.

The preservation of the region’s heritage is essential for a peaceful future. Too many monuments have already been damaged or destroyed throughout the region as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

I am nevertheless heartened by stories of efforts to protect each country’s heritage. Today in Baku, for example, I visited the Armenian Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator, where I learned about the church’s history and the preservation of books and manuscripts in the Armenian language. There is also the story of the former Armenian village of Kerkenj and Azerbaijani village of Dzuynashogh whose communities swapped land and agreed to look after the other’s sites, including cemeteries. The United States supports efforts in Azerbaijan and Armenia to protect the historical archives of each other’s communities in their countries. For example, next week Armenian and Azerbaijani archivists will be in the United States on a joint program to learn more about preservation of cultural artifacts. These types of efforts deserve recognition and we will do our best to support any such efforts in the future.

Leave a review

Ad *

Your review *

Oxudum və razıyam Şərh göndərmə qaydaları

- Social
- 3 November 2012 00:16
12 opposition members subjected to administrative punishment
- Social
- 3 November 2012 11:29
Ilham Aliyev Allocates AZN 2 Million for Development of Imishli

Want to say

Want to say
- 7 November 2024, 11:50
COP29 and the Ukrainian Peace Formula
In Ukraine, a brutal, bloody war caused by Russian aggression continues, claiming lives, destroying homes, demolishing infrastructure, and inflicting incalculable harm on the environment and surrounding natural ecosystems. Ukraine, more than anyone else in this world, strives for peace, as we bear the daily brutality of this Russian-Ukrainian war. We are at the forefront of the struggle for the right to life, freedom, and justice. Ukraine seeks a just peace that will lay a solid foundation for a stable future for Europe and the World, and the only way of achieving this is to implement President Volodymyr Zelensky's Peace Formula (the Ukrainian Peace Formula).

Read more
Want to say
- 23 October 2024, 01:16
The problem is that the government is Executive, not Proactive
On the eve of a large-scale flood approaching Baku, a disturbing incident occurred in the village of Buzovna, where a Lada Priora car fell into the ground, literally collapsing the road beneath it. The driver miraculously remained unharmed but vowed to seek justice, promising to file an official complaint with the prosecutor’s office against Azersu OJSC, the state-owned water supply and sewerage company, often associated with deeply rooted corruption.

Read more
Want to say
- 3 October 2024, 13:40
Georgia prepares for an all-against-one election
In a bit of historic irony, powerful oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili has managed to inspire rare unity across Georgia’s cacophonous political scene twice in his life. His money and influence forged the broad-based consolidation of opposition forces that brought him to power in 2012, and now, 12 years and three electoral cycles later, a similar pattern of opposition convergence could send him packing.

Read more
Want to say
- 17 September 2024, 22:36
The next fke of the Kremlın propaganda
Russian authorities and pro-Kremlin influencers have been spreading false information about alleged Reporters Without Borders (RSF) research into Nazi tendencies within the Ukrainian military, which was featured in a viral video falsely attributed to the BBC. RSF exposes the inner workings of a disinformation campaign designed to justify President Vladimir Putin's war narrative.

Read more