Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Government of Azerbaijan on reports of the (a) protection of Armenian cultural heritage sites in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and (b) cases of destruction of those sites by Azerbaijani forces; and if he will make a statement.

I have emphasised the importance of protecting all cultural heritage sites to both the Armenian and Azerbaijani Governments, including during my visit to the region in February. The UK Ambassador to Azerbaijan has also raised this issue with representatives of the Azerbaijani Government. We continue to underline our support for the efforts of UNESCO.