On the March 4, 2021 Professor Martin Tamcke from the Georg August University of Goettingen (Germany) initiated an online conference on the endangered Armenian culture and the protection of Christian heritage in the post-war Artsakh. After academic presentations and discussions, the participants published following appeal, which was addressed to the government of Germany and other international institutions. Numerous foreign scholars and German-speaking theologians are continuing to support this initiative with their signatures.
As scholars who feel particularly connected to the churches and the culture of Armenia, we are concerned not only with the course of the Nagorno-Karabakh war, but also with the question of the future of the people living there and the cultural heritage. The threat to Armenian culture cannot be indifferent to us, not only because cultural minorities are to be protected in principle, but also because the cultural heritage of Armenia is part of our common Christian heritage.
We reject the ideological reinterpretation or destruction of historical cultural heritage, especially if this serves a political instrumentalization. As Christians, we feel obliged to show solidarity with fellow believers whose cultural identity is threatened.
The current situation shows how difficult it will be to preserve the witnesses of the Armenian presence in the region, to preserve their heritage and to allow foreign scholars access to the most important places. It seems to us to be urgently necessary to show ways that secure the legacy of the Armenian presence in order to counteract ideological constrictions.
Read also
As a prerequisite for improving the situation, we currently see the urgent need to take all possible steps towards reconciliation between the warring peoples.
Therefore we call on:
– to protect Christian monuments from rededication and destruction and from de-Armenization
– for the admission of international scientists to safeguard the cultural heritage of the region
– to secure access to Christian sites for pilgrims
– to end war rhetoric
and propose
– to initiate confidence-building measures
– to encourage other institutions to comment
– to promote the organization of workshops and international specialist conferences on monasteries / theology / spirituality / conflict and peace research (with internationally oriented publications).
Photo Caption: Professor Martin Tamcke