Open Letter by Zülfü Livaneli to UNESCO: They Will Destroy Ida Mountains

Click to read the article in Turkish

Writer and musician Zülfü Livaneli has penned an open letter addressing Director General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay to raise concerns over the destruction of trees in Ida Mountains in Çanakkale for a gold mine.

CLICK - Thousands of Trees Cut in Mount Ida for Gold Mine

Sharing the open letter on his Twitter account, Livaneli has stated that he is "writing this letter as a former UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and adviser to the Director General between the years of 1996 and 2017."

Livaneli has continued his letter in following words:

'An insult to the heritage of our world'

"First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your new post and secondly, to draw your attention to a crime being committed against the natural and cultural heritage of the world in a part of the Northwestern region of Turkey, namely Kaz Dağları (the famous mythological name is the Ida mountain).

"It saddens me to let you know that a Canadian firm has cut almost 200,000 trees here recently and that they are planning to extract gold by using cyanide, which will destroy this beautiful paradise.

"Despite the protests of millions of people, the company continues with its project. It is an insult to the tangible and intangible heritage of our world.

"I know that, as an intergovernmental organization, you have limited enforcement power on matters such as these, but we need your help to create an international public awareness about this horrible attack on our historic Ida mountain and on the local people of Ida.

CLICK - 'Only the Judiciary can Stop the Miners in Ida Mountains'

"Please accept my letter as a reminder of UNESCO's ideals and a call for urgent action." (DB/SD)