Czech Culture Minister refused to participate in Azeri event

Czech Culture Minister refused to participate in Azeri event

27.02.2010 14:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic Ashot
Hovakimian visited a Czech village of Lidice, where the Azerbaijani
Embassy jointly with Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Azer-Czech union are
planning `to commemorate Khojalu events’.

Accompanied by Czech Armenians’ spiritual leader, archimandrite
Barsegh Pilavchian, Armenia club chairman Tigran Abrahamyan and Orer
magazine editor-in-chief Hakob Asatryan, Ambassador Hovakimian met
with the head of Lidice village administration and director of Lidice
Memorial.

The Armenian Ambassador told about what really happened in Khojalu and
produced the false photographs used by the Azeri propaganda machine to
mislead the international community.

Head of Lidice village administration Joseph Klima informed that the
Czech Minster of Culture refused to attend the Azeri event and assured
that the organizers, who tried to attract the villagers’ attention to
the event by promising an abundant dinner, will not be allowed to make
anti-Armenian statements.

The Nazi destroyed the village of Lidice, Czechoslovakia on June 10,
1942, killing every adult male and fifty-two women. All surviving
women and children were then deported to concentration camps, or if
found suitable to be `Germanized’, sent to the greater Reich. In 1945
The re-establishment of the village began soon after the liberation of
Czechoslovakia in May 1945. The place was later declared a national
cultural memorial. By the beginning of the 1950s, more than 100 houses
were built not far from the original site. Its Rose Garden became
symbolic of the continuity of life and was created with a donation of
29 000 rose bushes from 32 countries.