President Serzh Sargsyan attended today the ceremony of unveiling of the statue of the Hero of the USSR, Chief Marshal of the USSR armored troops Hamazasp Babajanian.

The memorial was opened in the public square adjacent to Babajanian Street in Avan administrative district of Yerevan. The memorial was created by the sculptor Hamlet Matinian and architect Michael Missakian.

Present at the ceremony were also Minister of Defense Seiran Ohanian, Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margarian, veterans of the WWII, the Commanding General United States Army Europe Lieutenant General Frederick Benjamin Hodges, the Adjutant General of Kansas, the military commander of the Kansas National Guard Major General Lee E. Tafanelli, Military Attachés of foreign states, natives of Chardakhlu residing in Yerevan (Khachisarians), members of the Gardman patriotic union, and other guests.

The President of Armenia laid flowers on the monument and paid tribute to the memory of the great warrior.

After the march of the ceremonial guard, the Honorary Citizen of Yerevan, gross master Rafael Vahanian and the Vice Chair of the Armenian Chess Federation Hovik Khalikian handed to President Sargsyan a symbolic gift – chess board which belonged to Marshal Babajanian which was presented by the descendents of the Marshal.