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A statue of prominent Armenian statesman and military strategist Garegin Nzhdeh has reportedly been removed from Artsakh’s Martuni town in compliance with the demand of Azerbaijani troops before its inauguration.

"The statue was definitely dismantled and taken to the History Museum," former pro-government lawmaker Sofya Hovsepyan said in comments on a Facebook post of Armenian reporter and TV host Nairi Hokhikyan.

"This is the statue of Garegin Nzhdeh in the Artsakh town of Martuni. Azerbaijan demands its removal, while the Russian peacekeepers do not want to take responsibility for the fate of the statue instead of the Armenians. Although the issue is still being discussed only in offices, it is clear that Azerbaijan is close to achieving what it wants, as there is no adequate response to it from the Armenian side,” Hokhikyan wrote on Facebook, sharing a photo of the statue.

“Our brothers and sisters in Artsakh are unanimously against the removal of the Nzhdeh statue. If we today fail to resist the aspirations of the enemy, tomorrow the Armenian authorities will reserve the right to say that there was no public demand, therefore they obeyed the Azerbaijani demands.

“I suggest declaring together, in a crowded march, that we are the owners of our land and the statue of the hero placed there. Nzhdeh [statue] must remain in Martuni,” the reporter said.

Meanwhile, Artsakh Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Lusine Gharakhanyan denied the reports of the dismantlement of the statue as “false.”