The National Heritage Institute condemns the military aggression of the Russian Federation and is deeply concerned about the ongoing military operations and escalating violence in Ukraine.
Such operations are a violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and are contrary to the Charter of the United Nations. The invasion and wanton destruction of the territory of a sovereign state has also been condemned by UNESCO in its statement, the original of which is available here. The statement expresses deep concern about the military operations and the escalation of violence in Ukraine. In this sense, the Czech Commission for UNESCO also expressed its full solidarity with the partner National Commission of Ukraine through a letter from its President, Professor Stanislav Štech.
The National Heritage Institute, as an institution represented in the Czech Commission for UNESCO, also calls for respect for international humanitarian law, in particular the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols (1954 and 1999), which ensure the prevention of damage to cultural heritage.
In the summer of 2021, it was agreed that the Russian Federation, specifically Kazan, would be the host country of the World Heritage Committee in the year of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the World Heritage Convention (see here). We hope that UNESCO will reconsider the location of this session in light of the current situation. It is not desirable to increase the credit of a country threatening elementary human values in this way at a time when it is recklessly violating international law.
