Forum held at Victoria and Albert Museum highlights destruction of Azerbaijani cultural heritage

A forum on "Culture in crisis. Heritage under attack. The impact on post-conflict reconstruction in the Middle East" has been held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, a British museum that houses the world's greatest collection of the decorative arts, News.Az reports. 

Addressing the conference, British MP, Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Explosive Threats Matthew Offord said that he had seen various conflict zones of the world, adding that he also visited the destroyed Aghdam district of Azerbaijan and the mosque belonging to the 19th century that was turned into a barn for cows and pigs.

Speaking at the event, the Founder and Executive Director of the NGO "Revive Campaign" to help landmine victims Nigel Ellway said that cultural monuments of national and global importance had been destroyed in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and the surrounding districts. He also emphasized the challenges in restoring these monuments due to the fact these sites are contaminated with mines.

Matthew Offord and Nigel Ellway recently visited the Aghdam district as part of their visit to Azerbaijan to attend the international humanitarian demining conference. They also shared their impressions about Azerbaijan's mine problem at the British Parliament.