Preservation of Artsakh`s cultural heritage in the spotlight of  "DIALOGUE" and MONUMENT WATCH

ArmInfo.The DIALOGUE public organization has signed a cooperation agreement with the independent academic platform MONUMENT WATCH, which focuses on monitoring and scientifically documenting the state of Artsakh's cultural heritage, as reported by the press service of the Organization.

The agreement was signed by Yuri Navoyan, the head of   "DIALOGUE,"  and Professor Hamlet Petrosyan, a Doctor of Historical Sciences, the  head of the MONUMENT WATCH platform and  the Department of Cultural  Studies at Yerevan State University.

MONUMENT WATCH is an independent scientific initiative that brings  together specialists from various fields: archaeologists, architects,  cultural scientists, specialists in Armenian studies, media  specialists and translators. The goal of the platform is to  scientifically and professionally register, document and present  changes in the state of the Armenian cultural heritage of Artsakh,  especially in those territories which as a result of the 44-day war  in 2020 and the September aggression in 2023, passed under the  control of Azerbaijan.

"Today, when the Armenian population of Artsakh was forced to leave  their native lands, it is extremely important that an academic,  objective observation mission remains in place to preserve the  heritage. We are witnessing attempts to falsify and destroy Armenian  monuments, and our response to this must be systematic, based on a  scientifically verified approach," Yuri Navoyan noted.  This  cooperation with MONUMENT WATCH has become part a consistent strategy  of "DIALOGUE" to protect and promote the historical and cultural  heritage of Artsakh. Unlike many initiatives, this work is not only  based on a humanitarian or cultural basis, but also on a strictly  academic and scientifically proven platform. Particularly, the team  and friends of the organization "DIALOGUE" support the activities of  the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. In the upcoming  days, a book-album "Artsakh:  Endangered Heritage" will be presented  to a wide range of readers in Armenian, Russian and English. This  book-album is prepared for a documentary exhibition of the same name,  which will be held by the Artsakh Diocese with the support of  . 

A documentary film has been created for the exhibition as well. With  the support of the organization, a group of scientists has created a  book-album "Residences of the Catholicosate of Aluank", which will  soon be published in Armenian and Russian. Through the organization's  efforts, works by Artsakh writers have been published in Moscow, and  research by Russian scientists on the  historical and cultural  heritage of Artsakh has been conducted. Thanks to the organization's  activities, the Stepanakert Russian Drama Theater has been revived  and is now operating in Yerevan,  receiving systematic support from  the team and friends of " DIALOGUE" until March of this year. The  Jazz Orchestra "Artsakh" has also been revived and is successfully  operating through the organization's efforts. Five young talented  musicians - participants of the "Originally from Artsakh" program,  are scholarship holders of the DIALOG organization. The organization  also supports the activities of the "DIZAK ART" center and other  initiatives.

The signing of the agreement between the "DIALOG" Organization and  the academic  platform MONUMENT WATCH was another important step in  the preservation of historical truth. Culture is not just the  language of art, but also the language of facts, documentation and  objective knowledge. In this context, the cooperation between the two  organizations is particularly significant in light of the modern  threat to the loss of Armenian heritage.