Historical Monuments of Mtskheta will be protected after a special meeting of UNESCO granted three sites in the Georgia's ancient capital Mtskheta the status of 'enhanced protection'.
The decision was made at the 11th meeting of the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which convened in Paris.
The new status of the three monuments meant both sides of a potential armed conflict are obligated to safeguard the UNESCO World Heritage sites and refrain from using the areas where these monuments are found in their combat activities.
With the decision, the three Mtskheta monuments join an exclusive list of worldwide sites receiving enhanced protection in armed conflict, based on The Hague Convention, Agenda.ge reports.
The current list of sites with enhanced protection include the 13th Century Castel de Monte citadel in south-east Italy, city Paphos in Cyprus and the 15th Century Palace of the Shirvanshahs in Azerbaijan's capital Baku.
