Can the Preservation of Cultural Heritage be Regarded as Separatist Activity, and the Artists Who Represent that Heritage be Labelled Dangerous?

YEREVAN — The Artsakh Cultural Preservation Center NGO announced that the World Festival Association has cancelled the official invitation for two Artsakh ensembles affiliated with the organization to participate in an international festival scheduled to take place in Vienna in November: the Artsakh State Orchestra of National Instruments and the “We Are Our Mountains” State Song and Dance Ensemble.

Following the official invitation, the ensembles spent approximately three months preparing intensively for the festival and developing a special program.

On 21 October, the organizers informed the ensembles that their participation had been cancelled. In subsequent written correspondence between Apres Margaryan, President of the NGO, and Zoran Strezovski, President of WOFA, the latter stated that a letter received from an embassy had described the cultural groups as “dangerous” and called for their invitations to be withdrawn.

On 23 October, Zoran Strezovski provided further clarification, stating that, according to his account, several embassies had intervened, accusing the ensembles of engaging in “separatist activity” in their country and recommending that they not be invited to the festival.

Excerpts from correspondence between Zoran Strezovski, President of WOFA, and Apres Margaryan, President of the Artsakh Cultural Preservation Center NGO

The Artsakh Cultural Preservation Center NGO categorically rejects these allegations and the labels attributed to its artists.

Since the forced displacement of the Armenian population of Artsakh in 2023, one of the organization’s missions has been to preserve Artsakh cultural ensembles and support the continuation of their professional activities.

These ensembles are living bearers of Artsakh’s intangible cultural heritage. UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage recognizes performing arts as one of the principal domains of intangible cultural heritage.

In 2025, Artsakh artists successfully participated in international festival programs organized under the auspices of CIOFF in Italy, receiving positive recognition and certificates. CIOFF is an official partner of UNESCO and is accredited to provide advisory services to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Artsakh artists forcibly displaced from their homeland have already been deprived of the opportunity to create and perform within their natural cultural environment. Restricting their participation in international cultural events on the basis of political allegations raises serious concerns about potential violations of their cultural rights.

The organization has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia and international human rights organizations, requesting that the circumstances of the incident be examined and that support be provided for the protection of Artsakh artists’ cultural rights.

The NGO has also requested that the President of WOFA identify the embassies involved and provide the factual basis for the allegations made against the ensembles. He has promised to provide further details by official email; however, these details have not yet been received.

The Artsakh Cultural Preservation Center NGO will continue to pursue a full clarification of the incident and the protection of Artsakh artists’ cultural rights.