PARIS, July 23. /TASS/. Russia is making every effort to preserve the ancient city of Tauric Chersonesus and its chora and does not recognize the UNESCO decision to grant it the status of endangered heritage, Russian Permanent Representative to the international organization Rinat Alyautdinov stated at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee, which is taking place in Busan, Republic of Korea.
"The decision taken is yet another example of the politicization of the committee's work. Russia does not recognize the decisions taken," he said.
The diplomat noted that the Russian side regularly sends reliable information on the state of preservation of Tauric Chersonesus to UNESCO and expressed regret that the organization's secretariat has refused to accept it since 2014. He added that since 2014, Russia has been carrying out work to protect the ancient ruins from anthropogenic impact, as well as archaeological research that allows for a more detailed understanding of the historical periodization of the site.
The main threat to the site, he emphasized, comes from terrorist attacks by the armed forces of Ukraine. Alyautdinov said that fragments of Ukrainian drones and missiles, including those supplied to Kiev from countries party to the convention, are regularly found in the protected area, "delegates of which are now wailing in their statements about the fate of Chersonesus."
