Archive News
regularly
updated
Edited on April 5, 2000
Noyan Tapan Armenian News, April 4, 2000
#########################################################################
HL NOTE: Some or all of the following news articles ignore such basic
facts that:
1) Karabakh region of Azerbaijan was, is, and will remain to be a
legitimate and internationally recognized part of Azerbaijan;
2) Karabakh, and seven other regions are illegally occupied by
armed forces of the Republic of Armenia, the aggressor;
3) Puppet and self-proclaimed (Nagorno) Karabakh Republic ("NKR") is an
illegitimate and criminal entity, not recognized by any international
organization or state;
4) As of 1992, Khankandi has been restored as an official historical name
of the town, that was renamed to Stepanakert by J. Stalin in 1923
#########################################################################
Javakhk Armenian Call for Genocide Recognition
AKHALKALAK, Georgia (Noyan Tapan)--During a visit to Akhalkalak
Tuesday, Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze was met by
Armenian protesters who urged the official recognition of the
Armenian Genocide and urging the president to declare Javakhk an
autonomous oblast within Georgia.
Shevardnadze was on a presidential election campaign stop in the
region to meet with Akhalkalak region government officials. He said
he would address the region's socio-economic problems following the
elections.
Karabakh's De Facto Independence Should Be
Sought, Says Oskanian
YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)--"We should seek Nagorno Karabakh's de
facto independence, while the de jure wording should not imply that
Karabakh remains part of Azerbaijan," Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanian said while lecturing at Yerevan State University Tuesday.
Oskanian believes a peaceful and fair solution to the Karabakh
conflict can be found through compromise. The Armenian side follows
three major principles regarding what the compromise should be.
These include international recognition of the Karabakh people's right
to self-determination, guaranteed security of the Karabakh people,
and a connecting link between Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.
The most recent proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group also contain
these approaches. Besides, the Minsk Group's latest peace plan,
unlike the previous ones, does not provide for any preconditions.
"This circumstance gives us an opportunity to work out a negotiated
settlement scheme that would not imply any submission of Nagorno
Karabakh to Azerbaijan. It is our high priority task," the minister
underlined.
A TRILATERAL FORUM ON KARABAKH AND ABKHAZIA?
Kocharian's visit to Georgia followed that of Azerbaijan's President
Haidar Aliev the preceding week (see the Monitor, March 20, April 3
and the Fortnight in Review, March 31). As Aliev and Kocharian
suggested in their public statements, the bilateral peace
negotiations are stalled due to the unsettled political situations in
Armenia and (most recently) Karabakh. Both presidents, however,
signaled their willingness to resume the series of their direct
meetings, once the situation stabilizes and credited each other with
a willingness to seek a compromise.
During Kocharian's visit, Shevardnadze made public his idea that
Aliev and Kocharian institutionalize their direct negotiations by
holding regular monthly meetings on the Karabakh problem. The
Georgian president offered to host some of those meetings in
Tbilisi, short of mediating them himself: The Aliev-Kocharian
negotiations by definition constitute an unmediated process since its
inception (with Washington's encouragement) nearly a year ago.
Shevardnadze's idea is to expand that bilateral format once Aliev
and Kocharian have laid the basis of a settlement over Karabakh. At
that stage, Georgia could join the process in order not only to help
finalize the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement but also to introduce
the Abkhazia issue as a subject for trilateral deliberation. In
Shevardnadze's view, the presidents of the three South Caucasus
countries could then settle the region's conflicts themselves (Prime-
News, Kavkasia-Press, Georgian Television, Turan, Space TV,
March 29-31).
The proposal would imply bypassing the inherently ineffective Minsk
format, whose participants would ultimately be reduced to blessing a
settlement reached directly by the parties to the conflict. It would
also deny Moscow the spoiler's role it has played in the two sets of
negotiations on Karabakh and Abkhazia. It would, moreover, create
and potentially institutionalize a South Caucasus trilateral
presidential forum, reducing even more the significance of
quadrilateral summits which Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin
insists on holding with Shevardnadze, Aliev and Kocharian during
the CIS summits in Moscow. While prepared to defer to Putin's
considerations of prestige in holding such meetings, the South
Caucasus presidents seem prepared to seek among themselves the
solutions to the region's conflicts.
-------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2000 The Jamestown Foundation
http://www.jamestown.org
AFP: Karabakh ex-military cheif accused of attack on region's leader
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 10:44:55 -0700 (PDT)
#########################################################################
HL NOTE: Some or all of the following news articles ignore such basic
facts that:
1) Karabakh region of Azerbaijan was, is, and will remain to be a
legitimate and internationally recognized part of Azerbaijan;
2) Karabakh, and seven other regions are illegally occupied by
armed forces of the Republic of Armenia, the aggressor;
3) Puppet and self-proclaimed (Nagorno) Karabakh Republic ("NKR") is an
illegitimate and criminal entity, not recognized by any international
organization or state;
4) As of 1992, Khankandi has been restored as an official historical name
of the town, that was renamed to Stepanakert by J. Stalin in 1923
#########################################################################
YEREVAN, Apr 5, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) Prosecutors in the
disputed Azerbaijani territory of Nagorny-Karabakh accused the
enclave's former military chief on Tuesday of ordering an
assassination attempt last month against the breakaway region's
top leader.
"Samvel Babayan organized the attack against the president of
Nagorny-Karabakh," the prosecutor's office said in a written
statement, referring to Arkady Gukassian.
Gukassian was seriously wounded when gunmen opened fire in his
car on March 22 near the presidential palace in Stepanakert,
capital of the mostly Armenian enclave.
Babayan, who was among about 25 suspects rounded up after the
shooting, was accused of leading the five-member hit squad that
carried out the attack.
He was also accused of illegal possession of arms and explosives.
Babayan was the military chief who led Karabakh Armenian forces
in a war of secession from Azerbaijan in 1988.
During talks to settle the conflict, he took a much harder line
than Gukassian and was eventually sacked in December.
The six-year war of secession by Nagorno Karabakh's Armenian
majority left more than 30,000 dead and almost one million people
displaced.
Despite a 1994 peace deal, little progress has been made on a
political solution to the republic's status. Azerbaijan has
offered broad autonomy to the enclave, but will not countenance
Karabakh's secession.
Gukassian is not the first president of Karabakh to suffer an
assassination attempt.
In April 1992, the first elected president of the enclave, Artur
Mkrchian, was shot dead in circumstances never fully explained.
Copyright 2000 Agence France Presse
Referred from Habarlar-L
Karabakh Prosecutors Say Babayan Plotted Coup
The Nagorno-Karabakh authorities said on Tuesday that the recent armed attack on the enclave's president was part a coup attempt staged by
the former commander of the Karabakh army, General Samvel Babayan.
Karabakh's chief prosecutor alleged at a news conference that after admitting his guilt, Babayan was formally charged on Monday with an
attempt to overthrow the government in Stepanakert. The general's supporters in Karabakh and Armenia have so far dismissed the accusations,
however.
The president of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), Arkady Ghukasian, was seriously wounded on March 22 when his car
was caught in an ambush and riddled with bullets. Dozens of individuals, including Babayan, have been arrested in connection with the
shootings.
According to NKR Prosecutor-General Mavrik Ghukasian, the attack was masterminded by the general who thus wanted to regain his previously
dominant positions in the Armenian-populated disputed territory. He said Babayan began plotting to kill President Ghukasian shortly after being
sacked as commander of the Karabakh Defense Army last December.
The attack, the prosecutor went on, was carried out by several gunmen led by the ex-commander's chief bodyguard, Sasun Aghajanian. The
gunmen waited in a hideout in the center of Stepanakert when Ghukasian's Mercedes passed by and fired about 60 bullets from assault rifles,
according to the official version.
Aghajanian and his accomplices have confessed their participation in the plot and pointed the finger at Babayan, the prosecutor claimed. He
further declared that Babayan too has pled guilty to the charges "in the presence of his lawyer."
Political groups with close ties to the 35-year-old general insist that he is innocent and accuse the Karabakh authorities of using the incident to
conduct a witch-hunt against their opponents. Some other leading Armenian parties have also questioned the official statements about
circumstances leading to the March 22 shootings.
But the Karabakh prosecutor said there is "sufficient evidence" to assert that Babayan had planned to install an "interim government" after
Ghukasian's death and subsequently take over the Karabakh leadership.
(Vahram Atanesian in Stepanakert)
Siradeghian Reported In Hiding After Arrest Warrant
Former interior minister Vano Siradeghian was reported to have left Armenia ahead of the parliament's decision on Tuesday to allow state
prosecutors to put him under arrest pending a verdict in his ongoing trial on murder charges.
The ex-minister is blamed for a string of contract killings committed between 1992 and 1994 when he was in power. The ex-minister and his
supporters have repeatedly denied the accusations, saying that they are groundless and politically motivated.Siradeghian went on trial last
September, but was until now at large owing to his parliamentary immunity from arrest. His fellow lawmakers were persuaded by the Armenian
prosecutor-general's arguments that Siradeghian must be kept in custody because he allegedly obstructs the due course of the trial.
Sources close to Siradeghian told RFE/RL that he left Armenia on Monday in the anticipation of the parliament's decision. But his departure was
not officially confirmed by his party, the former ruling Armenian Pan-National Movement (HHSh), or law-enforcement authorities by late
afternoon. An interior ministry spokesman said police are in the process of locating Siradeghian. Police officers were said to have visited the
HHSh headquarters and his house in Yerevan earlier in the day. Siradeghian's wife told reporters that she does not know the ex-minister's
whereabouts and is "very worried." HHSh officials said they have not seen him since Sunday. The party's deputy chairman, Andranik
Hovakimian, said: "We thought he is at home, but it looks like he is not." Hovakimian said it is unlikely that he fled the country to avoid arrest.
Siradeghian was absent from the parliament session that gave the green light to the prosecutors. Nor was he present at Monday's court
proceedings, during which the judge hearing the case authorized the prosecutors to approach the National Assembly.
The move was condemned by the HHSh in an overnight statement. The party's board said the criminal case against its chairman is a "desperate
attempt" by the authorities to "disguise their own political bankruptcy and impotence."
Prosecutor-General Boris Nazarian repeated his agency's claim that Siradeghian is deliberately dragging out the court proceedings and is
"threatening" and "terrorizing" relatives of his alleged victims. His petition was promptly approved, with no deputies willing to launch debates
on the issue. In a secret ballot, 77 parliamentarians voted for Siradeghian's arrest, 10 voted against and 6 others abstained. "The National
Assembly has come out well of this situation. Otherwise, it could have been accused of sponsoring potential criminals," said Victor Dallakian,
chairman of a key parliament committee.
In February 1999, the HHSh leader left the country for a self-imposed exile but returned three months later. Siradeghian was a close associate of
the former President Levon Ter-Petrossian and one of Armenia's most powerful men before the latter's resignation in 1998.
(Anna Saghabalian, Emil Danielyan)
RFE/RL: Armenian News Briefs 04/04/2000
Referred from Habarlar-L
Edited on April 4, 2000
NATO workshop started in Baku
Baku. 03.04.2000. /AzadInform/.
Today courses on "Civil Emergency Planning and
Civil-military Cooperation" to last till April 7 started at the "Europe" hotel.
The Chief of the Defense Ministry International Military Cooperation Department,
Colonel T. Salmanov imparted to the guests about activity of the Azerbaijan
Armed Forces personal within the frameworks of the NATO "Partnership for Peace"
Programme and considered the Civil Emergency Planning and Military Civil
Cooperation one of the directions of the NATO PfP. I. Salmanov stated Southern
Caucasus, including Azerbaijan was located in the seismically active zone and
laid stress on probability of creation of man-caused emergencies in the region.
So, the courses aim at close familiarization with the NATO Civil Emergency
decisions, coordination schemes used during emergencies and natural disasters.
About 60 representatives of member-states of the NATO PfP Programme will attend
the courses. Armenian representatives don't participate in the courses.
AzadInform #339(419) 03/04/2000
AZERI JEWS EXPRESS OUTRAGE OVER "BLOODY TRAIN OF 1918 GENOCIDE"
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom.
31 March 2000
The Jewish communities of Azerbaijan are appealing to you concerning the tragic
date in the fate of our country, the genocide of the Azerbaijani people, which
was committed by gangs of the Armenian nationalists headed by the Armenian
Revolutionary-Federation Dashnaktsutyun in 1918. [passage omitted: events of the
past]
What they failed to complete to the end in the past, Armenians leaders are
trying to finish today. The goal is the same: to occupy new lands and to expel
millions of Azerbaijanis from their lands.
Going through the entire century, the bloody train of the genocide of 1918
entered the 21st century. It is no coincidence that the dirty palaver around the
so-called genocide of Armenians is constantly puffed up in parliaments of some
countries of western Europe aiming to conceal the tragedy of the Azerbaijani
people and forget their victims and the continuous occupation of 20 per cent of
the territory of a sovereign country.
Like our entire nation, the Jewish community of Azerbaijan knows what a genocide
is. [passage omitted: about the Holocaust]
Today we are mourning for the victims of the Azerbaijani people, because only by
uniting the efforts of all people of goodwill, will peoples will be able to
oppose nationalistic insanity, with which some countries and people are still
gripped.
S.B. Ikhiilov
Chairman of the mountainous Jewish community
M.B. Bekker
Chairman of the European Jewish community
M.Sh. Palagashvili
Chairman of the Georgian Jewish community
[Bishop Aleksandr of Baku and the Caspian also issued a statement on 31st March
entitled "Statement of the Bishop of Baku and the Caspian" on the day of
national mourning 31st March]
Referred from Habarlar-L
Edited on April 3, 2000
ARMENIA, RUSSIA CONCLUDE WAR-GAMES.
Some 2,000 Armenian and
Russian troops on 31 March wrapped up four days of military
maneuvers at a training ground west of Yerevan, RFE/RL's
bureau in the Armenian capital reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 29 March 2000). The commander of the Russian Group
of Forces in the Transcaucasus, Lieutenant General Vladimir
Andreev, who directed the maneuvers, denied that the exercise
was connected with or aimed to duplicate Russia's ongoing
military campaign in Chechnya. But Armenian General Mikael
Harutiunian said the Armenian armed forces are looking into
elements of Russia's tactics against veteran Chechen fighters
in mountainous terrain in order to improve their performance
in mountainous or wooded areas. LF
RFE/RL
RFE/RL: Armenia, Russia Wrap Up Military Exercises
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2000 11:36:33 -0700 (PDT)
YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--Armenia and Russia ended on Friday
four-day joint exercises of their armed forces aimed at boosting their
coordination and combat-readiness. Heavy fire tore through the air as
about 2,000 troops backed by tanks, military aircraft and helicopter
gunships fought back a stage-managed assault on Armenia by a
theoretical enemy. Presiding over the maneuvers, which were held on
a vast firing range 60 kilometers west of Yerevan, was General
Vladimir Andreyev, commander of Russian military bases stationed in
Armenia and Georgia. The stated objective of the action, "restoration
of the state border," was declared achieved when a dozen tanks
followed by neat lines of infantry advanced on nearby hills, already
scorched by the sun and detonations.
Senior Russian and Armenian military officials said joint exercises that
have taken place regularly in the last five years make their bilateral
military cooperation more effective. The presence of a Russian military
base on its soil is a major element of Armenia's national security
doctrine.
The chief of staff of the Armenian armed forces, General Mikael
Harutiunian, told reporters that the two armies are using the occasion
to "help and learn from one another." According to Andreyev, their
professional level is improving "at a very good pace" thanks to such
interactions.
The two generals denied any link between the exercises and Russia's
ongoing military campaign in Chechnya. They said similar joint
maneuvers are due to be held in August. Still, Harutiunian added that
the Armenian military is looking into "some elements" of the Russian
tactics of taking on battle-hardened Chechen rebels in the conditions
of a mountainous terrain.
Azerbaijan, which is locked in a territorial conflict with Armenia over
the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, has repeatedly expressed concern
at the close Russian-Armenian military ties, viewing them as a threat
to its security. Some senior Azeri officials have even declared that
Baku should consider inviting NATO troops into its territory.
But both Moscow and Yerevan insist that their bilateral ties are
developing within the framework of the 1992 Collective Security
Treaty binding most former Soviet republics. Russia, Armenia and
several other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States
are part of an integrated air defense system. Last year, Russia
reinforced its military presence in Armenia, deploying sophisticated
MiG-29 fighter jets and S-300 long-range air-defense systems there.
Also watching the exercises was a group of senior officers from the
Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army, including its commander General
Seyran Ohanian. Officials said they were invited to gain more
knowledge from and if necessary, give advice to their colleagues from
Armenia and Russia.
The chief of the Armenian army staff said Azerbaijan should have no
illusions about the recent political turmoil in Yerevan and Stepanakert
and try to regain control over Karabakh by force. "I don't think that
Azerbaijan will resume the war. But if they want to solve the
[Karabakh] problem by military means I'm sure that the Armenian and
Karabakh armies won't allow them to do that," he said. Some
opposition politicians and former army officers in Azerbaijan have
recently called for a military solution to the conflict as the only
realistic way of restoring Azerbaijani sovereignty over the
Armenian-populated region.
Armenian Defense Minister General Vagharshak Harutiunian, who
was also at the scene, refused to comment on the recent reshuffle in
the country's armed forces. He reportedly threatened to resign after
President Robert Kocharian made key appointments in the army
command earlier this month apparently without his prior knowledge.
But Harutiunian was visibly satisfied with the course of the joint
maneuvers on Friday, telling reporters that there is a continuing
"growth in the quality" of his troops.
Copyright 2000 RFE/RL
Habarlar-L
Azeri Officers Attending NATO Activities
March 27 saw the beginning of three NATO events, which, according
to the NATO-Azerbaijan cooperation program, are attended by
representatives of the Azerbaijan Ministry of Defense. Among them
is the main conference on planning of training sessions,
"Cooperative Best Effort", which has started in Bucharest,
Romania, and is expected to last till March 31. Courses on
inter-action among air force, navy and ground troops in
peace-keeping operations in Ankara, Turkey, are scheduled to last
till April 7, while those for staff officers of NATO member and
partner states in Oberomergau, Germany, - till April 14.
ARMENIAN POW RELEASED.
An Armenian serviceman who had been
held prisoner in Azerbaijan for five months was released on
31 March in what an Armenian Security Ministry official
termed "a goodwill gesture" on the part of Azerbaijan's
President Heidar Aliev, ITAR-TASS and Turan reported. Armenia
still holds 10 Azerbaijani prisoners. LF
RFE/RL
KARABAKH LIBERATION OPTS FOR MILITARY SOLUTION
Members of the Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO), including
ex-defense minister Tajaddin Mehdiyev, his former deputies Isa
Sadigov and Zaur Rzayev, the national hero Shahin Tagiyev and other
officers held a news conference Friday. The Organization`s chairman
Akif Naghi announced during the briefing that all endeavors at a
peace settlement have proved futile over the last several years,
while international organizations failed to provide any assistance.
According to latest statements by leaders of Armenia and the
so-called Upper Karabakh Republic (UKR), despite all the
concessions on part of Azerbaijan, Armenians do not intend to
compromise. Taking advantage of their impunity, they have made a
point of shattering the cease-fire. "All this has led us to believe
that settlement of the conflict and restoration of Azerbaijan`s
territorial integrity are possible only through military ways.
Therefore, every effort must be taken in order to build a strong
economy and powerful army in Azerbaijan, capable of liberating the
occupied land", A. Naghi said. He added, "We should not fear of
losses, as each one of us must be prepared to sacrifice even his
life in the name of the country".
CEASE-FIRE MONITORING HELD WITHOUT INTERRUPTIONS
According to the Foreign Ministry, on March 24 the personal envoy
of the OSCE chairman-in-office, ambassador A. Kaspshik, his field
assistants O. Gnedykh, S. Bukhmayer and K. Kratki conducted
front-line monitoring near the Kayan settlement on the border of
Azeri Gazakh province with Armenia. The monitoring was carried out
in accordance with the coordinated schedule with the aid of
Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense of Azerbaijan. On the
invitation of Mr. Kaspshik, the monitoring was observed by
officials representing embassies of OSCE Minsk Group member-states
in Baku. No cease-fire violations have been registered in the
course of the monitoring.
Azernews-Azerkhabar, No. 13 (143), March 29 - April 4, 2000
Habarlar-L
Azerbaijan Releases Last Armenian Pow
The state commission on prisoners of war, hostages and unaccounted
for has announced that with the mediation of the ICRC, Garib
Melikian, an Armenian soldier born in 1981 who voluntarily
surrendered to the Azerbaijan army in the vicinity of the Martuni
province of Upper Karabakh in November 1999, has been sent to
Armenia. The Azerbaijan party has thus unconditionally and
unilaterally liberated all Armenian POWs.
Unfortunately, Armenia and ethnic Armenians of Upper Karabakh,
despite repeated pleas of international organizations, are still
keeping 13 Azeri Prisoners-of-War, thus infringing upon the
decision of the COE PA Political Committee and requirements of the
international law, says the commission report.
AssA-Irada News, March 30 - April 1, 2000
ARMENIA PROPOSES COLLECTIVE SECURITY CONCEPT FOR SOUTHERN CAUCASUS
TBILISI. March 29 (Interfax) - Armenian President Robert Kocharian,
speaking in the German parliament on Wednesday, set forth a concept of
collective security for the South Caucasus.
He said that Armenia approaches the problem of collective security
for the region on the basis of past and present experience, believing
that the South Caucasus is the weakest element in the general system of
European security.
The instinct of self-preservation must prompt the states of the South
Caucasus that a policy of regional polarization is inadmissible,
Kocharian said.
He said at the same time that a collective security system may be
effective if it is complex and involves all powers directly influencing
the region. "The formula which we are proposing '3+3+2' - includes all
states of the South Caucasus; Russia, Turkey and Iran directly bordering
on the region, and the European Union and the United States," Kocharian
said.
In his opinion, the system of collective security must embrace the
entire spectrum of issues that have to do with the economic course, the
principles of democratic reforms and a consolidated approach to the
settlement of conflicts.
All of the above-mentioned states have already responded to this idea,
although its concrete implementation will take a long time, said
Kocharian.
Stability in the South Caucasus will be vulnerable if in ensuring it the
need to develop good-neighborly relations with Russia is disregarded.
The region cannot neglect the depth of Russian interests, Kocharian
said, adding that Armenia views democratic Russia as a serious partner.
Regarding the settlement of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, Kocharian
said that his direct contacts with Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev
are a good foundation for comparing the two states' approaches and
revealing common positions.
He said that the direct dialogue with the Azerbaijani president, cut
short after a terrorist act in the Armenian parliament in the autumn of
1999, will be continued. The Armenian leadership is determined to attain
mutually acceptable decisions based on compromise, said Kocharian.
Copyright 2000 Interfax
Referred from Habarlar-L
Self-Proclaimed President In Hospital
Those charged with an attempt on the life of the "president" of
the so-called Upper Karabakh Republic Arkadi Gukassian have been
arrested in Khankandi. Among them is the chief of security service
of ex-"defense minister" Samvel Babayan, his two body-guards and a
brother-in-law. The Prosecutor`s office has ascertained that the
three acted within a criminal gang. It is indicative that S.
Babayan and his brother Karen were apprehended immediately after
the assassination attempt, in the first hours of March 22.
The condition of A. Gukassian, currently undergoing treatment in
Yerevan, is no longer critical. He is believed to have
temporariliy passed his powers on to the Republic`s prime
minister.
AssA-Irada News, March 27 - March 30, 2000
Referred from Habarlar-L
Edited on April 1, 2000
President appeals to the Azeri people on the occasion of March 31 genocide of Azeri people
Baku. 30.03.2000. /AzadInform/.The President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev
appealed to the Azeri people on the occasion of 31 March - Day of Azerbaijanian
Genocide. The appeal says: "Tragic events in the Azeri nation's history already
evaluated from political and legal viewpoints as a genocide originated from the
beginning of XIX century. After conclusion of the Gulistan and Turkmantchay
peace treaties between Russia and Iran it started mass settlement of Armenians
on historical Azeri territories and was pursued a new policy on establishment of
Armenian state in the South Caucasus".
It dwells on 19905-1907 wide -range carnage against Azerbaijanians committed by
Armenian nationalists directed by the Russian ruling circles, 1918 March
anti-Azerbaijan actions perpetrated by the Baku Commune embodied
Dashnak-Bolsheviks, 1948-1953 deportation of Azerbaijanian's from their
historical lands in Armenia in accordance with the USSR leaderships decision.
The appeal considers the 1990 January tragedy organized by USSR, 1992 February
carnage perpetrated by Armenians in Khojaly with the closest participation of
Soviet troops a planned activity of Armenian lobby able to influence the world's
great countries' political activity.
The President stressed in the XX century about 2 million Azerbaijanians suffered
genocide policy. We are quite far away from intention to indoctrinate enmity
against all nations. This way is hopeless, any person taking this way will
understand his mistake sooner or later. However, we have no right to forget
these events, the appeal says.
Press conference dedicated to 1918 genocide of
Azeri people
Baku. 30.03.2000. /AzadInform/. Hidayat Orujov, head of the President's Office
State adviser on National Affairs, held today at the President's Executive
Office a press conference dedicated to the 1918 March 31 Azerbaijanian genocide.
He spoke about bloody slaughters perpetrated by Russia in Azerbaijan with the
help of Armenians.
Adviser to state reminded the Azerbaijanian genocide perpetrated by Armenians on
March 31, 1918 was politically evaluated in 1919, 1920 by ADR (Azerbaijan
Democratic Republic) and on March 26 1998 by the President Heydar Aliyev.
Further he dwelt on special presidential decree on the genocide and 1997
December decree regarding Azerbaijanians deportation from Armenia. H. Orujov
stated relevant international organizations were appealed in connection with
Armenian pressure.
In 1918 the Armenian "Dashnakhtzyusyun-mauzerists" exterminated about 565
thousand Azerbaijanians, only in Yerevan - 135 thousand, within 9 months of 1919
they destroyed all Azeri villages in Armenia, in 1988-1989 there were killed 250
Azerbaijanians in Armenia.
H. Orujov pointed out it was being elaborated special measures plan on the
genocide and it was scheduled to erect memorial complex in honor of 1918, 31
March carnage's victims.
AzadInform #337(417) 30/03/2000
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 22:46:14 -0800 (PST)
CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND
REGIONAL SECURITY
The talks in Tbilisi and Baku evidenced a firm consensus among Ukraine,
Georgia and Azerbaijan in support of the principle of territorial integrity
of states and against "separatism." Kuchma declared with heavy emphasis that
"territorial integrity must be the iron rule" in resolving those conflicts.
The three presidents publicly alluded to Russian hardliners--under the
familiar euphemism "certain forces interested in destabilization"--as
responsible for fanning the conflicts in Abkhazia, Karabakh and
Transdniester and frustrating the efforts to resolve those conflicts. The
presidents criticized the "double standard" which leaves Russia free to
wage a war for territorial integrity in Chechnya after having encouraged
secessions in Georgia, Azerbaijan and Moldova. Kuchma, moreover, scathingly
noted the irrelevancy of the CIS as a conflict resolution mechanism: "What
sort of Commonwealth are we, if we can't resolve even one cardinal issue,
such as separatism? How much is such a Commonwealth worth?"
With regard to Abkhazia, the Ukrainian president offered to host a second
meeting in Yalta of the Coordinating Council, a forum mandated to facilitate
the negotiations between the Tbilisi government and the Sukhumi authorities.
Under the UN Secretary General's umbrella, the Council includes Russia, the
"Friends of Georgia" group of Western countries, and Ukraine as a new member
of the Friends' group. Although the creation of the Council ended Moscow's
virtual monopoly as a mediator, Russia remains the sole "peacekeeping" power
with troops on the ground and is therefore able disproportionately to
influence the negotiating process. Georgia has long asked Ukraine to
contribute peacekeeping troops in Abkhazia--not to replace the Russian
troops, but to supplement them--and implicitly to dilute their influence.
Kyiv is willing to provide a peacekeeping unit, but only as part of a
UN-authorized multinational contingent.
With regard to Karabakh, Kuchma called for a solution which would
"unconditionally observe Azerbaijan's territorial integrity" as well as
ensure the return of Azeri refugees. Obviously much moved by his visit to a
refugee camp, the Ukrainian president remarked that "the world has closed
its eyes to the humanitarian catastrophe in Azerbaijan," "every seventh
citizen of which has become a refugee." The vast majority of those refugees
originate from Azerbaijani districts occupied by Armenian troops outside
Karabakh proper. "I am profoundly convinced that Armenia does not gain
anything from this, but only loses," Kuchma remarked on Azerbaijani television.
In both Tbilisi and Baku, the three presidents endorsed the call for a South
Caucasus Stability Pact, recently aired by Turkish President Suleyman
Demirel in conjunction with Shevardnadze and Aliev. Those proposals
underscore the participation of the United States and the European Union in
such a pact. An Armenian proposal is vague on that point, while Russia and
Iran seek to limit the Western participation in any such pact.
Jamestown Foundation
Friday, 31 March 2000 - Volume VI, Issue 7
TERROR ACT IN NAGORNO KARABAKH
By MUSTAFA Hajibeyli
On March 22, there was an attempt of terror on Arcadia Gukasian,
"president" of the un-recognized Nagorno Karabakh Republic. The car of Mr.
Gukasian was shoot from machine guns at night on his return to home in
Khankendi City. He was seriously wounded, but doctors inform that his life
is out of danger. Gukasian wounded on his two legs and taken to Yerevan
city, capital of Armenia, by helicopter, according to the Armenian sources.
Several persons suspected in the assassination have already been arrested.
Samuel Babayan, former "minister of defense" of "Nagorno Karabakh Republic"
is also among arrestees. Let`s note that having resigned some time ago
Babayan was in opposition against Gukasian and has several times threatened
him.
It is not the only case confirming that Armenian political forces use of
terrorism in the struggle for power. In October of last year, as a result
the act of terror at the Armenian parliament Karen Damirchiyan, chairman of
the Armenian parliament, and Vazgen Sarkisian, Prime Minister, were killed.
The recent terror incident in Karabakh has caused a strong resonance in
Azerbaijan. The Azeri president Heidar Aliev has called that act of terror
an "internal affair" of Armenia, and pointed out that the Azerbaijani
government is not involved in breaking the stability neither in Upper
Karabakh, nor in Armenia.
In some political comments, the terror acts in Yerevan and Khankendi could
negatively influence on the peace negotiations held between Azerbaijan and
Armenia for regulating Upper Karabakh problem. There are also hinted
Russia`s involvement to these terror acts that is not interested in
solution of Karabakh problem in those comments. For example, Vafa Guluzade,
former state adviser of Azerbaijan, pointed close participation of the
recently assassinated Armenian politicians in the peace negotiations on
Upper Karabakh conflict as their common character. Mr. Guluzade stated that
after making Levon Ter-Petrosian, former Armenian president, who took a
positive position in those negotiations, to resign, Damirchiyan and
Sarkisian that participated in peace negotiations were killed. In his
opinion, at present Russia is making efforts for bringing to power the
political forces that remain out of peace negotiations in Armenia. In this
manner, it is expected that the current president Robert Kocharian will
face with assaults, as well.
In some analyses it is noted that increasing of terrorism at the political
scene of Armenia is an ordinary and expected case. Because, in last 10
years, those coming to power in Armenia and their "representatives" in
Upper Karabakh have always used of war and violence for reaching to their
goals. In other words, occupying 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories by
terror and violence and deporting hundreds of thousands of Azeris from
their homes, the Armenian politicians are now using of terrorism in the
struggle for power.
AZERBAIJAN DEMOCRACY MONITOR N03(16), MARCH 2000
http://www.andf.ctc.net.az
All the news are copied with permission from Habarlar-L Newslist
Edited on March 30, 2000
ARMENIA-KARABAKH
Jamestown Foundation Monitor
Wednesday, 29 March 2000 Monitor - Vol. VI, No.63
#########################################################################
HL NOTE:
1) Karabakh region of Azerbaijan was, is, and will remain to be a
legitimate part of the Azerbaijan Republic;
2) Karabakh, and seven other regions are illegally occupied by
the Republic of Armenia, the aggressor;
3) That the puppet leaders and regime(s) of some self-proclaimed "NKR"
entity are recognized by no state and lack any legitimacy whatsoever.
Further, the Stalin imposed name of Stepanakert in 1923, is invalid and
the historic name of the city, Khankandi, has been restored since
Azerbaijan's re-establishment of independence.
#########################################################################
LATEST TERRORIST ASSAULT ILLUSTRATES DEEP-SEATED
PROBLEMS.
Karabakh authorities and the Armenian state seem
unprepared politically, legally or conceptually to deal with the latest
act of internal terrorism--the March 22 assassination attempt on
Karabakh's president Arkady Gukasian (see the Monitor, March 24).
Interviewed on March 27 on Armenian National Television,
Karabakh prime minister Anushavan Danielian withheld any
information on the state of affairs in Karabakh, claiming instead that
"the situation absolutely stable, life follows its normal course and
people are going about their daily lives," that evident
misrepresentation met with no challenge within the political system.
On March 24, Danielian temporarily took over the functions of
president of Karabakh from the injured Gukasian. On May 27,
Danielian issued an order suspending the powers of the mayor of
Stepanakert, Karen Babaian, pending the outcome of the
investigation into the attempt on Gukasian's life. The brothers Karen
and Lieutenant-General Samvel Babaian, leaders of the strongest
local clan, are among the dozens of suspects detained in the wake
of the assassination attempt. Five of those were charged on March
27 by Karabakh's prosecutor general as "direct executants" of the
assault on Gukasian; the formula seems to presage an indictment of
the Babaians as organizers. Those "executants" include a brother in
law and three bodyguards of Samvel Babaian. The prosecutor
general's official announcement describes them as "guilty" and as
"proven criminals" in advance of any trial. Babaian's family and
some political groups, including the Right and Accord bloc which he
controls in Armenia's parliament, are demanding his release from
detention. Danielian as well as the Yerevan military have ruled that
out.
Danielian, 44, born to a family of Karabakh origin and raised in
Georgia and southern Russia, gained a reputation in Ukraine. He
entered private business in the Crimea, became one of the leaders
of the Party of Economic Revival (PEV), headed the Crimean
Supreme Soviet's commission on interethnic affairs (1990-1995)
and became a vice chairman of that Supreme Soviet as well as
head of the Crimea's Constitutional Commission. The Ukrainian
authorities cracked down on PEV in 1998 following a series of
corruption scandals and violent incidents. Danielian, as well as his
associate and PEV chairman Vladimir Ilich Shevyov (Gasparian),
disappeared from Ukraine's public life. Danielian resurfaced in early
1999 in Yerevan as director of the Cable Factory there. In July of
that year he became prime minister of Karabakh through
appointment by Gukasian with the blessing of Armenia's strongman,
Vazgen Sarkisian, some three months prior to Sarkisian's
assassination. Danielian has functioned in Stepanakert as an ally of
the Sarkisian camp and the Yerevan military in rivalry with the
Babaians. Last December, Danielian was hurt in a brawl between
his and Samvel Babaian's respective retinues outside the
government building in Stepanakert (see the Monitor, July 6,
December 20, 1999). During the last few months, Danielian has
traveled to North America and Western Europe in an effort to attract
international investment in Karabakh.
Commenting recently on the phenomenon of internecine violence in
Armenia and Karabakh, the Moscow-based politologist Aleksandr
Iskandarian noted the absence of any tradition of political and
economic competition within the framework of law. In Yerevan,
Paruir Hairikian--the presidential human rights commission's
chairman--pointed to an Armenian tradition which, in his view,
severely distorts today's political processes: that of chieftains of
armed groups, who used violence to defend interests and settle
differences in pre-statehood times. According to Hairikian, the
Armenian elite needs to overcome this mentality if it wants to
normalize political and economic life in the modern state (Noyan-
Tapan, Snark, March 24-28).
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.jamestown.org
Copyright Habarlar-L
SUPPORTERS URGE COMEBACK BY FORMER ARMENIAN PRESIDENT.
Some 20-30 people gathered outside the Yerevan home of former
President Levon Ter-Petrossian on 26 March to urge him to
return to active politics and try to reconcile rival factions
within the present leadership, Snark reported on 29 March. LF
ARMENIAN PRESIDENT OPTIMISTIC ON KARABAKH SETTLEMENT...
Robert Kocharian said in Tbilisi on 29 March that his ongoing
direct talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Heidar Aliev,
on approaches to resolving the Karabakh conflict will resume
"soon," according to Armenpress, as cited by Groong. The
previous day, Kocharian had told Georgian State Television
that he is "optimistic" at the prospects for reaching a
settlement of the conflict. But he declined to specify any
timeframe for doing so, saying that "we must try to be
patient and carry on with this process in a positive and
constructive manner." Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze
affirmed his readiness to promote an Armenian-Azerbaijani
dialogue in order to resolve all issues related to the
Karabakh conflict. LF
...SUGGESTS FORMAT FOR REGIONAL SECURITY PACT.
Addressing the Georgian parliament on 29 March, Kocharian said that the
proposed security pact for the Caucasus can be effective only
if all regional states are involved, Russian agencies and AFP
reported. Kocharian said that the pact should not only
address security issues and conflict resolution but provide a
basis for economic cooperation and democratic reforms. He
suggested the formula 3 + 3 + 2, meaning the pact would
constitute an agreement between Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Georgia, with Russia, Iran, and Turkey as guarantors and the
U.S. and the EU as sponsors. Georgian Foreign Minister Irakli
Menagharishvili expressed approval of that formula, Caucasus
Press reported. He said Tbilisi "supports all initiatives
aimed at stabilizing the situation in the Caucasus." LF
KARABAKH JOURNALIST DETAINED.
Vahram Aghajanian, a journalist with the Karabakh newspaper
"Tasnerord nahang" who was detained on 28 March,
may be charged with slandering the
authorities of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,
local law enforcement officials told RFE/RL's Stepanakert
correspondent on 29 March. Aghajanian had claimed in a
Western e-mail publication last week that the Karabakh
authorities had embarked on "a witch-hunt" following the 22
March attack on the enclave's president, Arkadii Ghukasian.
"Tasnerord nahang" is critical of the Karabakh leadership,
and some observers believe it is financed by Ghukasian's most
prominent political foe, former Karabakh Defense Minister and
army commander General Samvel Babayan. LF
RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 4, No. 65, Part I, 30 March 2000
Copyright RFE/RL
Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Elin Suleymanov
(202) 842 00 01
Azerbaijan Mourns Victims of Genocidal Policies
Washington, D.C. - March 31, 2000 - Today people of Azerbaijan pay their
respect to victims of massacres and ethnic cleansing. As a result of
imperial policies in the region and waves of Armenian aggression,
Azerbaijanis have been repeatedly subjected to mass killings and forced
expulsion.
In 1998, Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev issued a decree declaring March
31 the Day of Genocide Against Azerbaijanis in order to commemorate tragic
pages of the Azerbaijani history.
Following the establishment of the infamous Baku Commune, led by radical
Bolsheviks and Armenian nationalists, in March of 1918, the Azerbaijani
civilian population was subjected to systematic destruction and annihilation
in Baku and other regions of Azerbaijan.
However, these genocidal policies neither began, nor ended in 1918.
Following the division of Azerbaijani lands in 1814 and 1828 between Persia
and Russia, Armenian nationalists, encouraged by the Russian Empire, have
aspired to create a "Greater Armenia", at the expense of their neighbors,
including Azerbaijan. In order to achieve this expansionist goal Armenian
nationalists killed and expelled Azerbaijani civilians from their homes both
on territories of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Once a majority in many regions of the present-day Armenia, Azerbaijanis
were violently exiled on several occasions, among them the Moscow-sponsored
deportation of nearly hundred thousand people in the late 1940s. Criminal
actions of Armenian radicals renewed when the conflict erupted between
Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh. As a
result of the latest ethnic cleansing in 1988-1989, when the last remaining
Azerbaijani communities were deported, the Armenian nationalists have
reached their goal of ethnically homogenous Armenia.
Ethnic cleansing and massacres were continued by the Armenian armed forces
outside Armenia, leaving not a single Azerbaijani on the territories of the
Republic of Azerbaijan occupied since 1992. Today, Azerbaijan has the
highest per capita displaced population in the world.
Leaders of Azerbaijan's Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities issued
statements in memory of victims of systematic massacres against
Azerbaijanis. In the statement, they called upon the international community
to condemn Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan.
Addressing the nation on March 31 this year, President Aliyev said: "Our
common resolve to build an independent state of Azerbaijan is the best
protection against acts of aggression and repetition of the past tragedies."
Copyright Habarlar-L
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