On May 26, the Foreign  Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received the Executive Director of the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage(ALIPH) in Conflict Zones Valéry Freland.

The Foreign Minister of Armenia noted that the protection of the Armenian cultural and religious heritage from destruction and distortion of their identity in the territories under the control of Azerbaijan due to the 44-day war is one of Armenia’s priorities. It was emphasized that there is a serious danger of complete destruction of more than 2,000 Armenian cultural objects and 21,000 museum exhibits.

The Armenian side stressed that in the current situation the immediate intervention of the international community, in particular, UNESCO and its unhindered involvement on the ground becomes more urgent, with the purpose of preserving the Armenian monuments of Nagorno-Karabakh, which are part of the universal cultural heritage.

During the meeting, the sides discussed the work of ALIPH on shooting and 3D digitalisation of the Armenian historical and cultural monuments in Tavush and Syunik regions, and the upcoming programs to be implemented in this direction.

Reference - ALIPH was established in 2017 due to the cooperation of France and the United Arab Emirates. It is a unique initiative aimed at overcoming the challenges of cultural heritage protection in conflict zones. It is considered a frontier in heritage protection and restoration. It has the status of both an international organization and a private fund.