Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will hold discussions with his Armenian counterpart on the protection of Armenian Christian cultural heritage sites in Nagorno-Karabakh; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the inclusion of Nagorno-Karabakh in Open Door UK’s World Watch List, published on17 January 2024.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We are clear that the preservation of religious and cultural sites in the region is an important issue and we take seriously reports of the destruction of churches and other sites of religious significance in both Armenia and Azerbaijan as a result of their long-running conflict. Ministers and the British Embassies in Yerevan and Baku have raised the need to protect such sites with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Governments consistently and at the most senior levels. Open Door UK's World Watch List provides a sobering account of the extreme difficulties faced by many Christians around the world. We note the report's comments regarding Azerbaijan and regularly raise human rights issues with the Azerbaijani Government.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Azerbaijan on the (a) condition and (b) security of Armenian Christian (i) churches and (ii) other heritage sites in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government is clear that the preservation of religious and cultural sites in the region is an important issue and we take seriously reports of the destruction of churches or other sites of religious significance. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged over the course of the conflict. UK Ministers and the British Embassy in Baku have raised the topic of religious and cultural destruction with the Azerbaijani government consistently and at the most senior levels.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan concerning the protection of the cultural heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The preservation of religious and cultural sites in the region is an important issue and we take seriously reports of the destruction of churches or other sites of religious significance. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged over the course of the conflict. The British Embassy in Baku has raised the topic of religious and cultural destruction with the Azerbaijani government consistently and at senior level.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made, since September 2023, to (1) UNESCO and (2) the government of Azerbaijan, regarding the preservation of Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is clear that the preservation of religious and cultural sites in the region is an important issue, and although we have not formally made representations to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) since September 2023, we support their work in this regard. The British Embassy in Baku has raised the topic of religious and cultural destruction with the Azerbaijani government consistently and at senior level.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representation they have made, since September 2023, to (1) UNESCO, and (2) the government of Azerbaijan regarding the preservation of Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is clear that the preservation of religious and cultural sites in the region is an important issue and we take seriously reports of the destruction of churches or other sites of religious significance. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged over the course of the conflict. The British Embassy in Baku has raised this with the Azerbaijani government.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the protection of religious and cultural sites in Nagorno-Karabakh, and what representations they are making to the government of Azerbaijan in this regard.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is clear that the preservation of religious and cultural sites in the region is an important issue and we take seriously reports of the destruction of churches or other sites of religious significance. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged over the course of the conflict. The British Embassy in Baku has raised this with the Azerbaijani government consistently and at senior level.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to UNESCO and the government of Azerbaijan to allow a UNESCO mission unimpeded access to document Armenian and Azerbaijan heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh as part of a reconciliation measures.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government continues to raise the importance of the protection of all cultural heritage sites in Nagorno-Karabakh with both the Government of Azerbaijan and the Government of Armenia and is deeply concerned by reports that both parties have destroyed cultural heritage. We continue to press both sides to ensure UNESCO is able to undertake its crucial work in support of historical and cultural heritage. At this stage, we have not made direct representations to UNESCO regarding their efforts to secure access to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 March (HL6312), what assessment they have made of the (1) future, and (2) safety, of Armenian historical sites in Azerbaijan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The protection of cultural heritage affected by conflict and the prevention of acts of destruction are priorities for the United Kingdom. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged during long-standing conflict between the two nations. Following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the UK has engaged with the governments of both Armenia and Azerbaijan on this issue. We reiterate our call on all parties to respect all the cultures and religions of the region. We hope the deployment of UNESCO missions to both countries will be agreed and take place soon - this will be an important step in documenting any damage to cultural heritage sites and building trust between the two sides. We will continue to monitor allegations of the destruction of cultural heritage sites carefully.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 March (HL6312), what attempts they have made to document the destruction of Armenian historical sites in Nakhichevan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The protection of cultural heritage affected by conflict and the prevention of acts of destruction are priorities for the United Kingdom. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged during long-standing conflict between the two nations. Following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the UK has engaged with the governments of both Armenia and Azerbaijan on this issue. We reiterate our call on all parties to respect all the cultures and religions of the region. We hope the deployment of UNESCO missions to both countries will be agreed and take place soon - this will be an important step in documenting any damage to cultural heritage sites and building trust between the two sides. We will continue to monitor allegations of the destruction of cultural heritage sites carefully.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 March (HL6312), what assessment they have made of the disappearance of Armenian Khachkars from the Nakhichevan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The protection of cultural heritage affected by conflict and the prevention of acts of destruction are priorities for the United Kingdom. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged during long-standing conflict between the two nations. Following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the UK has engaged with the governments of both Armenia and Azerbaijan on this issue. We reiterate our call on all parties to respect all the cultures and religions of the region. We hope the deployment of UNESCO missions to both countries will be agreed and take place soon - this will be an important step in documenting any damage to cultural heritage sites and building trust between the two sides. We will continue to monitor allegations of the destruction of cultural heritage sites carefully.