The sculptor who created a WWII memorial in Georgia which was destroyed on December 19 has welcomed Russia's proposal to rebuild the landmark structure.
The Glory Memorial in Kutaisi was demolished in a botched operation that claimed the lives of two people. An eight-year-old girl and her mother were killed when explosives used to topple the structure sent large chunks of concrete hurtling over a large area.
Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin proposed that Russia rebuild the monument in Moscow.
Asked whether he supported the plans, Merab Berdzenishvili, who completed the original monument in 1981, told RIA Novosti: "This would be a good act... How can anyone say something negative about this initiative? Of course, I like the idea."
However, he said the blueprints and miniatures of the memorial have been lost.
"If they were kept somewhere for many years, it was the Tbilisi sculpture factory, which stored the models. But times have changed, and this is all gone, nothing remains. I don't have anything."
Asked whether he would be prepared to help rebuild the memorial, he said: "I am already 80. I created that memorial over a period of seven years... This has to be built anew, and it is no simple task. I don't know how long I have left to live."
Asked why the Georgian authorities destroyed the structure, he said: "I have nothing to say. I have been thinking about this, and I have no answer."
Georgian authorities say the memorial was removed to make way for a new parliamentary building.
The government has said that the relocation of the Georgian parliament from Tbilisi to Kutaisi will boost the development of western Georgia. However, the move has sparked protests among Kutaisi residents and the Georgian opposition.
Moscow earlier said Tbilisi had challenged the entire international community, defying the latest resolution by the UN General Assembly condemning the destruction of WWII memorials.
TBILISI, December 22 (RIA Novosti)
