Icheri Sheher (Old City) to be removed from list of UNESCO World Heritage

UNESCO Secretary General Koitiro Matsuuro voiced hope that in the near future Icheri Sheher (Old City) will be removed from the list of the UNESCO World Heritage, as the government and residents of Baku can ensure its protection themselves.

"Effective protection of cultural monuments, including Icheri Sheher, depends not only on the government, but also on the country citizens".

The due announcement was made by Koitiro Matsuura, visiting Baku, according to Novosti-Azerbaijan.

"Baku residents should treat this problem seriously and do not modernize the city at such a fast pace", he noted, answering the reporters' questions about the construction works in the Old City.

Matsuura said that Baku's historical part is valuable not only for UNESCO but for the overall region, therefore, it has been included into the UNESCO list.