Khachkar culture is also characteristic with the people of Udi, who were to a certain extent assimilated with Armenians, head Research on Armenian Architecture NGO Samvel Karapetyan stated.

As he told a news conference in Yerevan, beside Armenians, the Udis were the only nation to make khachkars.

“Like Armenians, the Udis professed the Gregorian faith, spoke Armenian and considered themselves to be Armenians,” the expert said.

Dwelling on Azerbaijan’s attempts to persuade UNESCO committee for intangible cultural heritage safeguarding, that khachkars belong not only to Armenians but also to Udi, who had no relevance to Armenians, the expert noted the statement to be incorrect, khachkars being a reflection of the Armenian culture.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the Armenian Khachkar (cross-stone) an intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding. The decision to classify the unique Armenian artwork was made on November 17 during the fifth session of an intergovernmental committee of states signed onto UNESCO’s Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Representatives of Azerbaijan, however, tried to interfere, announcing khachkars to be the cultural property of the Udi, rather than Armenians.