NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION OF ARMENIA

The annual three-day symposium of the European Council of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) was held in Armenia, which brought together 48 representatives of 25 countries, mainly presidents and vice-presidents of national ICOMOS. National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia was one of the co-organizers of this prestigious event of international significance, whose participation and role were represented on all days of the symposium.

The international scientific symposium on the topic “Heritage Conditioned by Memory: Ethical Approaches, Cultural Landscapes and Transboundary Cooperation” was launched at the American University of Armenia, and further work continued at National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia, where the sessions and professional discussions of the next two days of the event were held.

NUACA Rector Manuk Barseghyan welcomed the participants, emphasizing that the international meeting of the ICOMOS European Group is an important platform for the development of professional dialogue and cooperation in the field of cultural heritage preservation. The Rector noted that the University, as a leading institution of architectural, urban planning and construction education and science in Armenia, attaches particular importance to the issues of preservation, restoration and appreciation of cultural heritage, and in the preservation of Armenia’s rich historical and cultural heritage, he attached particular importance to cooperation with ICOMOS, expressing confidence that the meeting will contribute to the formation of new initiatives and long-term partnerships.

The work of the symposium continued with thematic presentations. Members of the ICOMOS Armenian National Committee also gave a talk as speakers along with the partners of the international organization, presenting their research, professional experience and vision on the international platform. They presented the accumulated experience and achievements of Armenia in the field of cultural heritage preservation to the international professional community.

It is noteworthy that the President of the ICOMOS Armenia National Committee is Professor of NUACA Chair of Theory, History and Heritage of Architecture Grigor Nalbandyan, and the moderators of the symposium were Head of the same Chair Emma Harutyunyan and Associate Professors of the same Chair Arev Samuelyan and Nune Petrosyan, the latter also being the Deputy Chairman of the RA Urban Development Committee. A significant part of the members of ICOMOS Armenia are also NUACA lecturers and specialists, which testifies to the active involvement of the University in international processes of cultural heritage protection.

The symposium also addressed Armenia’s achievements in international platforms for the protection of cultural heritage. In particular, last year Armenia was elected a member of the World Heritage Convention Committee for the next four years. Within the framework of the 1954 Hague Convention, at the 20th session of the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, the Republic of Armenia was elected Vice-Chair of the current session. An application for granting enhanced protection status to the monument group “Tatev and Big Desert of Tatev Monastic Complexes and the Vorotan River Gorge” has been submitted to UNESCO. This year, the Alif Support Program for the implementation of restoration works on Shushanavank, located in the border zone of Armavir Marz, was also approved.

State programs in the field of cultural heritage preservation are also ongoing. In 2025, more than 1.7 billion AMD was allocated from the state budget for the preservation, repair and restoration of monuments, which is an unprecedentedly high level of funding for the field. By order of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports,  restoration works of 17 monuments have been carried out, seven of which have already been completed, and this year it is envisaged to carry out the restoration of 21 monuments. At the same time, attention is paid not only to the preservation of monuments, but also to the formation of appropriate tourism infrastructure around them.

The annual symposium of the European Council of ICOMOS, held for the first time in Armenia, once again emphasized the important role of the country and, in particular, National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia in the processes of cultural heritage preservation, international scientific cooperation and exchange of professional experience.