An International Conference took place on May 13-14 on the subject of “Culture in Conflict: South Caucasus Today” at the Vienna Museum of Historical Arts.

The conference was organised under the patronage of His Holiness Karekin ΙΙ, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, by the Austrian Committee of Mother See’s Office for Artsakh Spiritual-Cultural Heritage Issues.

The Conference, which focused on the issues and threatening dangers of protection and preservation of Artsakh’s cultural heritage, drew considerable interest and coverage from international and Armenian media. A number of interviews took place within the margins of the Conference.

The Austrian Catholic press agency “Kathpress” delivers the interview with Prof. Jasmine Dum-Tragut, the head of the Austrian committee of Mother See’s Office for Artsakh Spiritual-Cultural Heritage Issues, during which she emphasized that Artsakh heritage must be protected from “wilful physical and ideological destruction, vandalism and falsification on the part of Azerbaijan.

And this is by no means just the task of Armenia. “Armenia must not be left alone in this difficult task” mentioned Dum-Tragut.

Furthermore, Prof. Dum-Tragut reported to Kathpress that the threat to the cultural property was shown on the basis of numerous documented cases.

Hetq, one of the most popular Armenian News and Media outlets covering the Conference, delivers an article of interview with the participants of the Conference. Documentary film director Seda Grigoryan, one of the participants of the Conference who is working on a film about Artsakh and the plight of its Armenian heritage, told Hetq that the Conference was organized by the representatives of international organisations provided with substantive support of Armenians. She stressed the role of the international organisation Blue Shield Austria, co-organiser of the Conference. Its President Karl Habsburg also criticized Azerbaijan’s policy in his remarks and noted that the formation of an Armenian national committee was already in progress. It is hoped that this will provide more opportunities for effective protection of cultural values.

The Conference also brought together religious leaders, scholars and experts, as well as military affairs specialists. Topics addressed at the Conference included destruction of Artsakh’s Armenian historical and religious monuments, as well as the issues of cultural heritage during military conflicts and its protection.