Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan about allowing UNESCO to undertake an independent mission to draw an inventory of significant cultural properties in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The UK Government continues to raise the importance of the protection of all cultural heritage sites with the Governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan and is deeply concerned by reports that both parties have destroyed cultural heritage. The UK Government continues to urge the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan, both bilaterally and in our statements in multilateral fora such as the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, to allow international organisations unrestricted access to all areas of the region. This includes pressing both sides to ensure UNESCO is able to undertake its crucial work in support of historical and cultural heritage. We continue to underline our support for the efforts of UNESCO.