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The erection of a statue to Karabakh war hero Michael Avagyan in Bugashen village of Georgia’s Armenian-populated Samtskhe-Javakheti region was a topic of debate at the first session of the Georgian parliament.

The statue is of a native to the region – Mikhael Avagyan, who died during the war in Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s, was solemnly opened on January 20 in his native village. The ceremony was attended by the Armenian Ambassador Ruben Sadoyan, the head of the district administration, the local government as well as members of the Georgian parliaments of Armenian origin.

This has caused outrage on social media and a strong reaction from Azerbaijan, that even summoned the Georgian Ambassador in Baku.

As Jnews reports, MP Azer Suleymanov from the “Unified National Movement” has questioned the Speaker of the Parliament Irakli Kobakhidze about the participation of the ruling party members at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, describing it as a “deliberate provocation against Georgia” and demanding immediate removal of the statue.

“Georgia’s approach to neighboring states is clear. We respect the interests of neighboring countries and act taking into consideration those interests. We are holding consultations with our partners and will find a solution to maintain peace in our neighborhood,” Kobakhidze has noted.