YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Recently, reports circulated in the Azerbaijani media stating UNESCO has rejected to acknowledge lavash as an Armenian cultural element and instead adopted the Azerbaijani bid. However, as always, this was another disinformation.

During the 11th session of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee of UNESCO, which was launched on November 28 in Ethiopia, bids presented to be included in the intangible cultural heritage lists were discussed, including the joint bid of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan and Turkey – “Flatbread making and sharing culture: Lavash, Katyrma, Jupka, Yufka”.

According to our information, the abovementioned bid was submitted in 2015, in response to the “Lavash, traditional bread making, significance and cultural manifestations in Armenia” bid, which was presented earlier and adopted during the 9th session of the committee.

The Armenian side has numerously announced that Azerbaijan regularly attempts politicizing the activity of UNESCO and transforming it into a platform of political disagreements and clashes from a cooperation format, and the above-mentioned bid is another evidence of it.

Although the “Flatbread” making tradition is widespread in numerous countries of the region, the preparation of lavash in Armenia significantly differs from similar cultures in other countries by all components, with method of preparation, significance and self- expression of diversity.

The Armenian delegation insisted the Committee to adopt the stance which it expressed in 2014 during the discussion of the bid presented by Armenia. As result of measures taken by the Armenian side, the draft decision of the Committee was amended.

During discussions of the abovementioned joint bid on November 30, the Committee cited the 2014 decision regarding the Armenian bid in its decision, affirming that “communities living in the region, as well as other countries, use the types of flatbreads presented in the bid. Therefore, the Committee urges the bid presenting countries to take into consideration the wide cultural inclusion both inside and outside the region of the element when implementing the preservation measures of the mentioned element.

The Committee states that listing the element in the joint bid does not imply that it’s exclusive, but is also used “in and out of the region”, and one of the types of “flatbread”, the lavash, was included in the List back in 2014 as an element used in Armenia.

In regards to the Azerbaijani disinformation, we once again underscore that the Committee did not reject Armenia’s bid in 2013. It was adopted on November 26, 2014, during the 9th session of the Committee.

Armenia was elected a member of the Committee in June of 2016 – with a 4 year term.