International conference in Vienna dedicated to preservation of cultural heritage.
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The importance of this event could be hardly overestimated.
More than 300 delegates and participants of the conference — outstanding scientists, politicians, public activists from the USA, Great Britain, New Zeland, Austria, Russia, Iraq, Netherlands and other countries - assembled to discuss problems of protection of culture.
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The event is especially important for Russia because our compatriot Nicholas Roerich the great Russian artist, public figure, scientist, writer and humanist was the author and initiator of the Pact, the first international Treaty on protection for historic monuments, museums, scientific, artistic, educational and cultural institutions. The Roerich Pact was very important for creation of international legal norms and public activity in the field of protection of cultural heritage. The ideas of the Pact were laid as the basis for the Hague Convention for the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict.
The conference was opened with the greeting speech by Friedrich Schipper, Secretary General of the Austrian National Committee of the Blue Shield.
The second day of the conference was dedicated to the 75th Anniversary of the Roerich Pact. Among the honorary guests of the conference who addressed to delegates were A. Zmeyevskiy, Head of Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to International Organizations in Vienna, A. Postnikov, President of the International Centre of the Roerichs (ICR), Moscow and Leylya Strobl, Austrian Roerich Society. The importance of the Roerich Pact ideas for the world cultural community was emphasised in the speech by Yerzhan Kazykhanov, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan in Austria, Head of Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to International Organizations in Vienna.
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A. Postnikov presented the Banner of Peace to Friedrich Schipper, organizer of the conference. The Banner of Peace was designed by N. Roerich as the distinguished symbol of the Pact. The same Banner is waving above the International Centre of the Roerichs in Moscow. Under this Symbol the ICR organizes international cultural projects.
The memorial photo exhibition «75 years of the Roerich Pact» presented by the ICR was opened the same day. Presentation of the exhibition catalogue published by the ICR and Austrian National Committee of the Blue Shield under the patronage of the Austrian UNESCO Commission took place at the opening of the exhibition.
After Vienna the exhibition will be shown in other European capitals. The International conference «Archaeology in Conflict» is held under the patronage of UNESCO and the Austrian UNESCO Commission powered by the World Archaeological Congress and the Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield.
