At the General Assembly of ICCROM, the Azerbaijani delegation gave a solid response to the provocative speech of the representative of Armenia

The 33^rd session of the General Assembly of the International Center for the Study of Protection and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) was held at the headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Italy. Azerbaijan was represented at the session by a delegation consisting of employees of the Ministry and the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Italy, headed by Sabina Hajiyeva, head of the State Service for Protection, Development, and Restoration of Cultural Heritage under the country's Culture Ministry.

Speaking on behalf of Azerbaijan, S. Hajiyeva talked about our rich cultural heritage, the prospects of mutually beneficial cooperation with ICCROM.

The representative of Azerbaijan, using the right of reply in the General Assembly, gave a solid answer to the provocative speech of the employee of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia:

"I would like to use our right of reply to the speech made by the representative of Armenia today. This speech is another provocative attempt aimed at diverting the attention of the international community from the facts of cultural cleansing not only in the previously occupied territories of Azerbaijan, but also in Armenia itself. For thirty years, Armenia has destroyed the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan on a large scale, subjecting it to looting and vandalism. More than 100,000 artefacts were stolen from the cultural monuments located in the previously occupied territories of Azerbaijan and illegally taken to Armenia. By expelling all Azerbaijanis from their historical homelands – Western Zangezur, Gafan, Irevan, Goyche, Nuvedi and Vedi, which are in Armenia today, the Armenian authorities have increased aggression against Azerbaijan and carried out ethnic cleansing. Deliberate destruction of physical traces of Azerbaijanis in Armenia was an important element of erasing them from their historical land. The names of all territories and toponyms of Azerbaijan have been changed, the historical and cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, mosques and cemeteries have been purposefully targeted in the territory of Armenia, subjected to vandalism and destroyed."

It was emphasized that Azerbaijan has repeatedly brought the atrocities committed against its historical and cultural heritage to the attention of the international community, and appealed to UNESCO and other international organizations to take urgent measures to ensure the protection of its heritage.

It was also stated that the war is over for Azerbaijan and the country has fully restored its sovereignty. At the same time, Azerbaijan has started full-scale reconstruction and restoration works to revive the historical image and bygone spirit of this region.