Demolition of  Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex started under guise  of "reconstruction" - David Ananyan sounds the alarm

ArmInfo. The so-called "reconstruction" of the Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex, which "accidentally" coincided with the signing of the Washington  Declaration on Peace, is a message about Yerevan's readiness to make  concessions, including those that call into question the foundations  of national memory and identity. David Ananyan, former head of the  State Revenue Committee (SRC) of Armenia and political and public  figure, shared this assessment. 

Earlier, photographs appeared on the Internet showing that the  absence of facing slabs on the walls of the complex. Director of the  Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Edita Gzoyan told the media that  repairs on the territory of the memorial and the museum-institute  have been going on for about two months.  According to her, the  facing stones had shifted due to the lack of a drainage system,  posing safety risks to the monument. The reconstruction project was  approved by the Armenian government back in 2021. She noted that the  work will not be completed  in the near future, as it is being  carried out in stages.

"Yesterday's publications and signals in the press and on social  networks sound sobering. The demolition of the Tsitsernakaberd  memorial complex began under the guise of "reconstruction". The  official statement claims it is  "a one year construction project",   but political logic suggests that if the current government is  replaced, this construction may never be completed", Ananyan writes  on his Facebook page.

According to the politician, it is obvious that this is not a  coincidence. "On one hand, there is the fake peace treaty signed with  Aliyev in the United States, and on the other hand, there is the  that began the day after it was signed. In the  language of international politics, this is a message: Armenia is  ready to make concessions that challenge the foundations of our  national memory and identity. One of Turkey's long-standing demands  has been the denial of the Genocide. And today, its practical  expression, as a first step, could be the dismantling of the most  important symbol of our national memory - Tsitsernakaberd. Photos and  images of the construction fever can be presented to Erdogan as a  political report, and to the domestic audience  as .

This is no longer just a question of cultural heritage. It is a  question of statehood and sovereignty. By destroying the symbol of  memory, we are forced to abandon historical continuity and accept the  imposed agenda. Where are civil society, political forces,  and the intelligentsia? Will there really not be a call for broad  public resistance at this moment? "Every stone of Tsitsernakaberd  belongs not to the authorities, but to the Armenian people," he  concludes.