The erasure of Armenian cultural history in Nakhichevan is one of the most underreported acts of cultural destruction in the 21st century. The year 2020 marks the 15-year commemoration of the final phase of this systematic destruction, when in 2005, the Azerbaijani army destroyed with sledgehammers thousands of remaining khachkars in Jugha (Old Julfa) in Nakhichevan, effectively eliminating the last remains of Armenian cultural presence in the region. UNESCO had designated these monuments as Cultural Identity but took no action to protect them.
Richard B. Finnegan Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Stonehill College Dr. Anna Ohanyan moderated a panel discussion on the flare-up on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border with panelists Antranig Kasbarian, Arsen Kharatyan, and Maria Tititzian. This webinar was sponsored by the NAASR / Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Series on Contemporary Armenian Issues.