Armenian craftswoman says ministries will not challenge UNESCO listing of Ayntab embroidery as Turkish heritage

An Armenian folk artisan says the Armenian government has indicated it will not take action to challenge a recent UNESCO decision recognizing Ayntab (Antep) embroidery as part of Turkey’s intangible cultural heritage, a move that has sparked criticism among Armenian craftspeople.

Lusine Mkhtaryan, a state-recognized folk master and author of books on embroidery, said she had met with MP Julieta Azaryan, a member of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sports, to present her concerns about the decision.

Late last year, Ayntab Armenian embroidery was inscribed by UNESCO on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as part of Turkey’s cultural heritage. The decision was adopted during the 20th session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held in New Delhi.

The listing and what Mkhtaryan described as the silence of Armenian authorities have prompted protests among some Armenian folk masters and embroiderers.

Mkhtaryan said she had emailed all members of the parliamentary committee in advance of her meeting but was told the lawmaker had not seen the message, though her assistant had. She said she requested two actions from the parliament: assistance in arranging a meeting with Armenia’s permanent representative to UNESCO, Aram Hakobyan, and a written response clarifying that describing Ayntab embroidery as Armenian would not violate Armenian or international law.

Azaryan told her she would consult colleagues and respond within a week, Mkhtaryan said, adding that the lawmaker described the issue as having “a political component”.

In a written response from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Mkhtaryan said officials indicated they would not initiate steps to seek UNESCO recognition of Ayntab embroidery as part of Armenia’s intangible cultural heritage.

Instead, the ministry suggested she submit proposals to include new elements in Armenia’s national list of intangible cultural heritage, according to Mkhtaryan.

She also said she received a response from the Foreign Ministry that did not address her request to facilitate contact with Armenia’s UNESCO representative and repeated language similar to that of the education ministry, advising that related inquiries be addressed to the competent authorities.

Mkhtaryan argued in earlier comments to Panorama.am that the embroidery tradition recognized by UNESCO reflects Armenian craftsmanship and that Turkish practitioners adopted and adapted it over time.

She said she would continue to pursue the issue through other avenues and announced what she described as a third phase of the “Boycott UNESCO” campaign without providing further details.