Over 2,000 Armenians residing in Akhaltsikh Georgian town rallied yesterday in front of the office of Georgian President’s Plenipotentiary Representative to the region Nikoloz Nikolozashvili demanding return of the earlier dismantled khachkar (cross stone) commemorating the victims of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in 1915. It should be reminded that April 22 the khachkar was dismantled by the Akhaltsikh police. The ceremony of opening the monument should have been held today – on the Day of Commemoration of the Genocide Victims. Before disassembling the khachkar, the Police detained head of the organizational committee on erection of the khachkar Lyudvig Petrosian, releasing him after keeping for 4 hours. In the words of the latter, the khachkar was disassembled in compliance with a direct instruction of Plenipotentiary Representative of Georgia in the region of Samtskhe-Javakhetia Nikoloz Nikolozashvili “due to absence of permission for its erection.” However, Petrosian insisted that the Akhaltsikh Municipality had allowed the erection of the khachkar beforehand. As reported by A-Info referring to reliable sources, the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Georgian President is ready to allow installation of the khachkar in the yard of one of Armenian churches in Akhaltsikh. At present the Armenian Foreign Ministry makes efforts to resolve the conflict.
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