Rally in Tbilisi Demanding Dismantling of Monument to Armenian Militant

Baku / 08.02.19 / Turan: On Friday afternoon in Tbilisi, in front of the Georgian parliament building, a protest rally was held against the establishment of a monument to Mikhail Avagyan, who took part in the occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan, in the village of Bugashen of the Akhalkalaki municipality.

At the rally, Ahmed Imanguliyev stated that Avagyan participated in the genocide of the Azerbaijani population of Khojaly and Georgians in Abkhazia.

"In Georgia there should not be monuments to those who participated in the crimes of genocide. There should be no basis for separatism in Georgia," he said.

The monument to Avagyan was installed on January 20 of this year. This caused outrage of the Azerbaijani and Georgian public.

In connection with this, the Ambassador of Georgia was invited to the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan and told about the need to take urgent measures to eliminate this monument that does not meet the strategic partnership relations of the sides.

The rally participants noted that the establishment of a bust to Avagyan, who participated in the war against Azerbaijan and Georgia itself, contributes to the disruption of relations with Azerbaijan.

"In order for Georgia not to encounter conflicts in the future, we demand that our state urgently remove the monument," the rally leader said.

Speaking at the rallies, Azerbaijanis and Georgians noted that the establishment of a monument to the militant is a serious blow to the international image of Georgia.

The protesters demanded speedy dismantling of the monument. .-03B-