Sharmazanov to Zakharova: Garegin Nzhdeh was not a Nazi he was patriot of Armenia

Monument to Garegin Nzhdeh was erected in the center of Yerevan because Nzhdeh is a national hero of Armenian nation, Deputy Speaker of Armenian Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov told ArmInfo's correspondent commenting on Russian Foreign minister Maria Zakharova's statement. 

"Nzhdeh is a national hero of Armenian nation the same way as Aleksandr Nevskiy, Aleksandr Suvorov, Marshal Kutuzov, Bagration are national heroes of friendly Russian people. And as a historian I want to emphasize that Garegin Nzhdeh had no relation to fascism and Nazism. He struggled for Armenia's independence for all his life. Nzhdeh is not a Nazi he is patriot of Armenian nation and speculation on this issue is inadmissible and inappropriate", Sharmazanov stated. 

Sharmazanov recalled that in 1939 Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR Vyacheslav Molotov signed non-aggression pact with Germany but no one calls him a Nazi or nationalist. "Everybody realizes that this treaty was signed based on Soviet Union and soviet people's interests in order to prevent Germany's possible attack. Nzhdeh faced the same situation. He cooperated with Germany in order to prevent possible aggression against Armenia by Berlin's ally Turkey in case of Germany's victory", Sharmazanov stated. 
Earlier, Official Representative of Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova stated at today's briefing that everybody knows Russia's stand on display of any form of rebirth and glorification of fascism, neo-Nazism and Nazism. It is strange for us that the monument to Garegin Nzhdeh was erected in Yerevan, as we all know Armenia's heroic participation in the Great Patriotic War, Zakharova noted.

To recall, on May 28 a monument to Garegin Nzhdeh, hero of the Armenian national liberation movement of early XX century, was unveiled in the park adjacent to Republic Square Metro Station in Yerevan.  Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan and Nzhdeh's great-grandson Armen Babayan and other high-ranking officials attended the ceremony. Garegin Ter-Harutyunyan (1 January 1886 - 21 December 1955, better known by his name de guerre Garegin Nzhdeh) was an Armenian statesman and military strategist. As a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, he was involved in national liberation struggle and revolutionary activities during the First Balkan War and World War I.  Garegin Nzhdeh was one of the key political and military leaders of the First Republic of Armenia (1918- 1921), and is widely admired as a charismatic national hero by Armenians. It was due to Nzhdeh that Armenia retained Syunik region in earlier 1920ies. During World War II Nzhdeh suggested supporting the Axis powers if the latter would make a decision to attack Turkey. Operation Gertrud, a joint German- Bulgarian project about attacking Turkey in the event that Ankara joined the allies, was largely discussed in Berlin. The Armenian military unit, which was supposed to be used against Turkey was sent to the Eastern front, to the Crimean peninsula, in 1943. Nzhdeh requested the detachment's return, and terminated his connections with Nazi Germany. On 9 September 1944 Nzhdeh wrote a letter to Stalin offering his support were the Soviet leadership to attack Turkey. A Soviet plan to invade Turkey in order to punish Ankara for collaboration with the Nazis and also for returning the occupied Western Armenia territories was intensely discussed by the Soviet leadership in 1945-1947.The Soviet military commanders told Nzhdeh that the idea of collaboration was interesting but in order to be able to discuss it in more details, Nzhdeh would have needed to travel to Moscow. He was transferred to Bucharest and later to Moscow, where he was arrested and held in the Lubyanka prison.  After his arrest, Nzhdeh's wife and son were sent to exile from Sofia to Pavlikeni. In November 1946, Nzhdeh was sent to Yerevan, Armenia, awaiting trial. At the end of his trial, on 24 April 1948, Nzhdeh was sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment (to begin in 1944).