В посольство Армении в Иране из армянской епархии Атрпатакана поступилаинформация о том, что около 100 азербайджанских солдат, ворвавшись накладбище Старой Джульфы, находящейся на берегу реки Аракс, при помощимолотов, лопат и тяжелой техники разрушают и превращают в пыль хачкары(камни-кресты), спасенные в 2002 году от осквернения со стороныазербайджанцев, сообщает посольство РА в ИРИ. Этотинцидент являетсяочередным шагом азербайджанского государства по искажению истории,посредством чего предпринимается попытка уничтожить в Нахичеванеармянский след. В связи с этим лидеры трех армянских епархий Ирана отимени армянства выразили свое возмущение и ярость и обращаются кмеждународному сообществу, международным организациям, в частности, кЮНЕСКО с тем, чтобы последнее в рамках своего мандата и регламентапредприняло шаги для предотвращения очередного культурного геноцида состороны Азербайджана. Помимо этого, посольство Армении в Иране подипломатическим каналам поставило в известность МИД РА и продолжаетследить за развитием событий.Фотографии,сделанные с иранской стороны в 2002 годуКладбище Джуги известно своим большимчислом средневековых хачкаров, число которых было около 10.000Рассматривая некоторые из хачкаров сблизкого расстояния, можно заметить, что они были разбиты молотом накуски.Хачкары по ту сторонужелезнодорожного полотна. Фотография сделана с иранской стороны.Сегодня многих из этих хачкаров уже нет на прежнем месте.Акты вандализма по отношению кпамятникам армянского культурного наследияФотография снята после того, какнекоторые хачкары были повержены. Через несколько дней из уже небыло.Desecration of Nakhichevan Memorialsby James Kirby Tomblinuk-christian.netA recent Azeri state-sanctioned campaign to destroy and ruin Armeniankhatchkars and graves in the Julfa region of Nakhichevan, recentlyattracted international attention with Armenias Culture Ministry andthe late Armenian Catholicos Karekin I, stepping in to end thedestruction of Armenian monuments at the hands of Azeris.Disturbing eyewitnes accounts emanated from Northern Iran, regardingdesecration of the Armenian khatchkars in the Nakhichevan region of theformer Soviet Union. This has appeals to UNESCO by Armenia foreignministry officials and Catholicos Karekin.A group of visitors to the St. Stephens Armenian Church in Tabrizbordering the Arax River and Nakhichevan reported witnesingdesecration of Armenian graves and khatchkars in the Julfa region ofNakhichevan. The eyewitneses, who photographed and documented thevandalism, said that the demolished khatchkars were carried away on aflatbed train, while another group leveled the ground. The group wastold that this operation had been taking place for a week.One of the eyewitneses to the destruction, Arpiar Petrosian, a memberof the Research into Armenian Architecture organization dispatched anappeal to the RAA chairman Armen Hakhnazarian, who alerted the monumentpreservation administration at Armenias Ministry of Culture. Theappeal included photographs and the eyewitnes accounts of thedesecration.The monument preservation board chairman Gagik Gurjian told the NoyanTapan news agency that the ministrys office had alerted PresidentRobert Kocharian to take the necesary steps in halting furtherdesecration. The preservation board also met with EtchmiadzinCatholicosate Vicar General Archbishop Karekin Nercisian, who pledgedthat he would addres the matter with Islamic religious leader of theCentral Asia and the Caucasus.The RAA has also appealed to the UNESCO representative at Armeniasforeign ministry, who has taken the dosier to Paris, in order togarner international support on the matter. Hakhnazarian expresed hisanger, saying that while the government of Iran was spending nationalfunds to renovate Armenian monuments in that country, its neighbour wasorganizing a cultural genocide.In his appeal to UNESCO Executive Director Federico Mayor, theCatholicos of All Armenians has expresed his anger regarding the Azeriauthorities campaign to destroy Armenian monuments.The Catholicos called on Mayor to do his utmost to prevent thedesecration of Armenian historical and religious monuments, whilethanking UNESCO for its efforts to preserve the Armenian monastery inCyprus and the Armenian Church in Baku from falling prey to Turkish andAzeri destruction.On behalf of Armenians both in Armenia and the diaspora, I appeal toyou to undertake immediate measures to end the vandalism, which can bedeemed as a gros violation human rights and desecration of holymonuments which have served as a site for prayer and pilgrimage,stated the Catholicos in his letter. We are deeply angered that suchviolation are taking place overtly, as the world stands idlyindifferent, stresed the Catholicos, who also dispatched an appeal toWorld Council of Churches president Conrad Raiser.Les than a week later visitors to St. Stephens church in northernIran confirmed that demolition of Armenian monuments acros the riverArax in Julfa, Nakhichevan appear to have halted. Arpiar Petrosian,who sent the first witnes reports to ANN/Groong two weeks ago, was notconvinced. The regular use of the state owned, state operated railroadmakes [this] banditry, unknown to the authorities, very improbable, hesaid.Varujan Arakelian, who was in the area this past week, said that themachinery and the crews which had been working at demolishing the oldJulfa cemetery two weeks ago were no longer there, and there seemed tobe no evidence that anyone had worked there for almost a week.Arakelian also reported that the destruction he observed was moreextensive than previously believed. He observed that many displacedstones were still on the ground, fallen. No further information couldbe obtained from locals.On 9th December, the BBC reported that the permanent representative ofthe Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic in Baku, Hasan Zeynalov, dismisednot only concerns over the destruction of Armenian monuments andaccused Armenians of fabricating these stories, but also claimed thatArmenians have never lived in Nakhichevan, which has been Azerbaijaniland from time immemorial, and thats why there are no Armeniancemeteries and monuments and have never been any.Petrosian was nevertheles relieved at the sight of the emptycemetery. Although it is still too early for any conclusions, the mereknowledge that for the moment there is no destruction there, is quitewelcome, he said. Arakelian will be traveling to the United Statesoon, and is scheduled to meet with Karekin I personally. He willpresent new documents and facts about both Julfa and the Red Monasteryof Astabad. A report will also be sent to His Holines Aram I,Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia.Julfas cemetery is the largest Armenian cemetery known, unrivalled inthe scope, variety and creative art of its khachkars. It occupies ashoehorn shaped area of 1600 square metres extending from north tosouth to the river Arax. Estimates around the turn of the century putthe number of khachkars there near 10,000, all in good condition.Nearly half of these were destroyed in 1903-1904, when the railwayconstruction pased through there without consideration to thesehistorical monuments. In the 1970s, only 2700 had survived the years.www.uk-christian.net

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