What transpired on the night of May 28 in the Volkonka village on the outskirts of Sochi can only be described as barbarity.

Under the cover of darkness, a statue dedicated to General Andranik, erected at the site just days before, was scandalously dismantled. This ignoble act of dishonour took place on the eve of the 93rd anniversary of the foundation of the First Armenian Republic.

The bust of the famed Armenian military leader had been erected with the overwhelming approval and resources of the local community.

Surprisingly, the statue was dismantled by Hrach Makeyan, the Sochi chapter head of the Union of Armenians of Russia (UAR).

Makeyan told the press that he was directed to dismantle the bust by none other than UAR President Ara Abrahamyan. Makeyan argued that the local authorities had threatened to bulldoze not only the commemorative site but other Armenian cultural monuments as well and that the OMON (Special Police Units) would arrest all individuals listed in their black books.

In response to a question posed by the Yerkramas newspaper via the telephone, UAR President Ara Abrahamyan naturally feigned ignorance.

"I'm hearing about this scandal for the first time. As soon as I get back, I will personally look into the matter. If the facts are correct as stated then a serious decision will be adopted," declared Abrahamyan.

Nevertheless, what is evident is the hand of the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem in this affair.

It turns out that even 85 years after his death General Andranik's spectre continues to haunt the Turks.

And the Turks, true to form, have sought to destroy their enemy by using the hands of that very same foe. The Turks know full well that, as in the past, there are always Armenians to be found to perform their dirty work. Sad but true.

According to the Russian language press, certain Turkish-Azerbaijani business circles threatened to halt construction work at the upcoming Sochi Winter Olympics site if a statue of General Andranik was ever to be erected.

This Olympics blackmail had its desired effect. Seriously concerned Russian authorities made it clear to Abrahamyan to clear up the mess with the resources at his disposal.

The name of General Andranik Ozanian, a leader of the Armenian national liberation struggle, has always been uttered with contempt and outright hate by the Turks and their Azeri cousins.

Their disdain for General Andranik is understandable given the Armenian patriot's ceaseless and principled struggle for Armenian national liberation in the face of the Turkish and Azeri onslaught to wipe Armenians from the face of the map.

The incident at Volkonka took me back to my childhood and the year 1967. I can still recall the theft of the sculpture of an eagle atop the statue in the Armenian village of Banants, in the Dashkyasan district of Azerbaijan, to honor those who died in the Great Patriotic War.

That vandalism also occurred under the cover of darkness and Armenians were involved as well.

And why was the carving of the eagle ignobly pulled down? Because a certain top ranking Azerbaijani Communist Party official argued that the eagle was a representation of General Andranik.

I guess the official was reminded of the words of the song dedicated to Andranik – "Like an eagle you soar over mountains and valleys..."

In any event, such notions were enough for official Baku, including Heydar Aliyev, First Secretary of the CP at the time, to view the carving as inappropriate and to have it removed.

News of the dismantling spread through the village like wild fire. The shock of what happened lasted for quite a while. Letters and petitions were sent to Moscow and Baku; but to no avail.

The order had come from the top and was irreversible.

In a strange twist of fate, on October 27 of last year in Astrakhan, the day when the presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan met to discuss the Karabakh issue, our strategic partner unveiled a bronze statue of Heydar Aliyev.

Prior to this, another equally majestic monument to the former leader of Azerbaijan had been unveiled in Ulyanovsk.

What does it all mean? Who is sitting in Moscow deciding what statues can be erected and which ones should be torn down? What are the criteria?

The answers to these questions are better left to those who gave the orders to dismantle the statute of an Armenian national hero and, by the way, a general in the Russian army.

Let those who carried out such ignoble orders also provide answers.

It has become clear for some time now that Russia, in terms of its Caucasus policy, follows the following formula – I have Armenia in my pocket but I must cajole and sweet-talk the Turkish Azeris to always keep them in my orbit."

The incident in Volkonka is just the latest example of this policy.