The response by the Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry to the question of Gala TV
Question: 2017, under Armenia’s submission “Kochari: traditional group dance” was inscribed in the UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. However, recently, in Mauritius, the 13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has adopted the file submitted by Azerbaijan thus inscribing “Yalli (Kochari, Tenzere) traditional dances of Nakhichevan” in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. How would you comment that?
Answer: I would like to underscore that, according to the Convention on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the inscription of any item application in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage does not imply the ownership over the item. The registration of an an item in the list acknowledges the cultural expressions of that item and their specific features in that country (or countries, in case of multinational applications).
Azerbaijan’s nomination file states that there are about 60 types of “Yalli,” practiced in Nakhijevan, and Kochari is among them.
Regarding this issue, more concerning are Azerbaijan’s general tendencies to politicize the UNESCO platform, which is already reflected in the working procedures of the organization. The UNESCO, created to advance the peace and security by promoting cooperation between countries through culture, has now turned into a platform for deepening the problems, and this should be alarming for all members of the organization and for the UNESCO Director-General.
Armenia has repeatedly stated about the above mentioned, as well as about the unhealthy approaches pursued by Azerbaijan at the UNESCO events, including at the session you mentioned.
