YEREVAN — Oct. 23, 2026 — The Artsakh Cultural Preservation Center NGO announced that the World Festival Association (WOFA) had canceled the invitation for two Artsakh ensembles affiliated with the organization to participate in an international festival scheduled for November in Vienna: the Artsakh State Orchestra of National Instruments and the “We Are Our Mountains” State Song and Dance Ensemble. Following the invitation, the ensembles spent approximately three months preparing for the festival and developing a special program. On Oct. 21, the organizers informed the ensembles that their participation had been canceled. In subsequent written correspondence between Apres Margaryan, president of the NGO, and Zoran Strezovski, president of WOFA, Strezovski stated that a letter received from an embassy had described the cultural groups as “dangerous” and called for their invitations to be withdrawn. On Oct. 23, Strezovski provided further clarification, stating that several embassies had intervened, accusing the ensembles of engaging in “separatist activity” in their country and recommending that they not be invited to the festival. The Artsakh Cultural Preservation Center NGO rejected the allegations against the ensembles. Since the forced displacement of the Armenian population of Artsakh in 2023, the organization has worked to preserve Artsakh cultural ensembles and support the continuation of their professional activities. These ensembles represent aspects of Artsakh’s intangible cultural heritage. UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage recognizes performing arts as one of the principal domains of intangible cultural heritage. In 2025, Artsakh artists participated in international festival programs organized under the auspices of CIOFF in Italy, receiving recognition and certificates. CIOFF is an official partner of UNESCO and is accredited to provide advisory services to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Artsakh artists forcibly displaced from their homeland have already been deprived of the opportunity to create and perform within their cultural environment. The Artsakh Cultural Preservation NGO expressed concern that restricting their participation in international cultural events on the basis of political allegations could affect their cultural rights. The organization has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia and international human rights organizations, requesting an examination of the incident and support for the protection of Artsakh artists’ cultural rights. The NGO has also requested that the president of WOFA identify the embassies involved and provide the factual basis for the allegations made against the ensembles. According to the NGO, Strezovski has promised to provide further details by email; but those details have not yet been received as of Oct. 23. The Artsakh Cultural Preservation Center NGO said it will continue seeking clarification of the incident and advocating for the cultural rights of Artsakh artists. For more information visit: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FEprveZXF/ The post Embassy interventions reportedly canceled Artsakh ensembles’ Vienna festival appearance appeared first on The Armenian Weekly .