BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 5. War has never helped preserve cultural heritage, Director of Cold War Studies at Harvard University Mark Nathan Kramer said at a panel session of the 3rd international conference on "Cultural heritage and the right of return: restoration of the cultural heritage of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia as a path to justice, reconciliation, and peace" organized by the Western Azerbaijan Community today, TurkicWorld reports.
He pointed out that until the 19th century, international law experts hadn't seen cultural heritage as a relevant subject of international law. This meant that fighting factions had the green light to lay waste to or loot the enemy's possessions, even if they were sacred.
"For millennia, war has been accompanied by the destruction, plundering, and prolonged prohibition of access to cultural objects," he noted.
Kramer added that the threat of destruction and plunder of cultural heritage would deter states from fighting and would force them to act more quickly to resolve wars that might arise.
