Action against Destruction of Armenian Khachkars Held near UNESCO Mission in Ottawa

March 2, 2006 - 18:43 AMT 14:43 GMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenians in Canada protest against the Azerbaijani destruction of Old Julfa cemetery carrying a model of khachkar (stone cross) in front of UNESCO building in Ottawa on 25 February 2006. Tens of thousands of khachkars, some as old as the 8th century, were destroyed by the Azerbaijani government from 2000-2005. Aware of the "successful" destruction, Iranian Turks and Azerbaijanis are now calling for Armenia's destruction. Yesterday the Armenian Community of Toronto held a peaceful candlelight procession to protest against the ongoing demolition of medieval Armenian cemeteries and historic stone crosses (khachkars) in the southern Nakhichevan region of Julfa by the Azerbaijani armed forces. As the Armenian Community of Toronto told PanARMENIAN.Net the candlelight procession is organized by the Inter-Denominational Armenian churches of Toronto—the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church, St. Gregory Armenian Catholic Church and Armenia Evangelical Church. The cemetery, home to more than 10,000 Armenian khachkars,was subjected to sustained attacks throughout the 20th century and again, starting in 2002,when Azerbaijani forces crushed hundreds of the crosses and shipped the destroyed crosses from the region by rail. The most recent attacks, in December 2005, have been the worst. Nakhichevan is a historic part of the Armenian homeland and was an integral part of the first Armenian Republic of 1918-1920. It was arbitrarily severed from Armenia and placed under Azerbaijani rule as part of the Soviet Union's accommodation with Kemalist Turkey and Moscow's "divide and conquer" policy. During the Soviet era, the indigenous Armenian population was pushed out of Nakhichevan due to discrimination, economic pressure, and other policies advanced by the Soviet Azerbaijani authorities. Source