European Parliament adopts resolution condemning destruction of cultural heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan

YEREVAN, March 11, /ARKA/. By a vote of 635 to 2 and 42 abstentions the European Parliament on March 10 adopted a resolution condemning the destruction of the cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The European Parliament strongly condemned Azerbaijan’s continued policy of erasing and denying the Armenian cultural heritage in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, in violation of international law and the recent Order of the International Court of Justice stating that Azerbaijan must prevent and punish any acts of vandalism and desecration.
The resolution text acknowledges that the erasure of Armenian cultural heritage in the region is part of a wider pattern of a systematic, state-level policy of “Armenophobia”, historical revisionism and hatred towards Armenians promoted by the Azerbaijani authorities.
It also underlines that cultural heritage has a universal dimension as a testimony of history inseparable from peoples’ identity, which the international community has to protect and preserve for future generations.The resolution calls on the EU, UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the OSCE to jointly encourage and support efforts aimed at the preservation of cultural and religious heritage;
it calls on the EU and Member States to continue to support the work of international organizations aimed at protecting cultural and religious heritage;
it calls on the Commission to use all available levers to prevent acts of vandalism, destruction or alteration of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh. -0-