Sochi Armenians Advised to Solve their Problems in their Homeland

Sochi mayor Anatoly Pakhomov didn’t permit the monument dedicated to Armenian national liberation movement member General Andranik Ozanyan to be erected, said the mayor himself, speaking to Azerbaijani journalists.

The monument was to be installed in the village of Vovkivka in Sochi’s Lazarevski district. The sculptor of the monument, People’s Artist of Armenia Marat Minasyan, worked on the statue for nearly 4 years. The idea of erecting the monument came from the Armenian community in Lazarevski, many of whom are descendants of those who managed to escape from the genocide in Ottoman Turkey.

Work on the monument was paid for through public donations. Apart from Armenians, local Cossacks, whose ancestors had fought side-by-side with General Ozanyan’s men, also donated.

However, when Turkish and Azerbaijani diplomats found out about the monument, they promised to do everything possible to prevent it from being erected.

Baku-based APA news agency reports that Sochi’s mayor, speaking to Azerbaijani journalists, said, “Never has such a thing happened and it never will. If someone wants to erect a monument, please, do so — in your homeland. We are hospitable and we love everyone — all are our brothers. But there are political issues; these must be solved at home and not here.”

Photo: Yerkramas.org