Head of Heritage parliamentary group Stepan Safaryan said that though the rights of Armenian communities are protected in many Muslim countries, the situation in Turkey and Azerbaijan raises concern. “The Armenian identity and historical-cultural values have been subjected to discrimination and intolerance in these countries,” Safaryan told OSCE conference on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination in Astana.

According to Safaryan, the anti-Armenian moods are propagandized in these countries at the level of governments, as a result of which a discriminative attitude is formed there, what does not allow national minorities to display their Christian identity.

As an example of Azerbaijan’s intolerance towards Armenian historical-cultural values, Safaryan pointed to the destruction of Armenian cemetery in Nakhijevan.

“It is necessary to send an independent expert group to the region to estimate the current situation around Armenian historical-cultural values, specifically, to document the facts of vandalism in Nakhijevan,” concluded Safaryan.