Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Armenian cultural heritage, including churches and monuments, in the Nagorno-Karabakh region has been destroyed by Azerbaijan during the dispute over that territory.
The Minister for European Neighbourhood and the Americas has emphasised the importance of protecting all cultural heritage sites to both the Armenian and Azerbaijani Governments, most recently during her visits to the region in February. The UK Ambassador to Azerbaijan has also raised this issue with representatives of the Azerbaijani Government. The protection of cultural heritage affected by conflict and the prevention of acts of destruction remains a priority for this Government. We continue to underline our support for the efforts of UNESCO in this regard, and for the Co-Chairs of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Minsk Group in their work to facilitate a lasting peaceful settlement to the conflict.