Moscow sent a note of protest to Yerevan on the occasion of the desecration of the "Mother Armenia" memorial dedicated to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War in Gyumri. Maria Zakharova, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, announced this during today's briefing.
"A monstrous incident took place in Gyumri, an act of vandalism against the monument to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. This monument is called "Mother Armenia". On June 10, there were reports about the desecration of this monument. And, of course, it causes deep indignation. This sacrilegious act is not only hooliganism, but also a targeted attack on the joint historical memory of our countries and an attempt to desecrate the Great Victory. Naturally, we have sent a note of protest to the Armenian side," said the diplomat.
According to him, the servicemen of the 102nd Russian military base located in the Shirak region immediately joined the restoration of the monument. The Russian Embassy in Yerevan also gave an appropriate assessment of the incident.
"We saw the statement of the competent authorities of Armenia about the arrest of the alleged criminal. that is wonderful. We hope that justice will prevail and that the illegal actions, which have caused great public outrage in both our countries, will be properly punished," he said.
At the same time, according to Zakharova, "it is surprising that the Armenian authorities, instead of strongly condemning the desecration of the monument or at least expressing a clear position, literally decided to remain silent."
He noted that they have noticed the attempts of some media related to the Armenian authorities to present the incident as a deliberate provocation by the Russian side. "It is a lie, a disgusting and obviously fabricated move. All this is beyond common sense."
