site.btaPM: Soviet Army Monument's Place Is in Museum, Not In Downtown Sofia

Commenting on the ongoing dismantling of the Soviet Army Monument in Sofia on Monday, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said that it has to be put on display at the Museum of Socialist Art. "It has no place in downtown Sofia," he told journalists ahead of the Young Champions of Bulgaria ceremony at the Youth and Sports Ministry.

"This is a propaganda monument, it has no cultural value. It is not a war memorial. It is part of the suppression of the Bulgarian state through the abolition of democracy by the occupying Soviet troops and subsequently by the totalitarian state. It is about time we let go of that past. It should be sent to the museum. We are not saying that it should disappear. It should be studied as part of our history," Denkov said.