NKR MFA INFORMATION DEPARTMENT CHIEF MARSEL PETROSIAN’S COMMENTARY ON THE ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN SABAH TURKISH NEWSPAPER
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2009-11-03 11:09
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
A Turkish popular proverb reads that a man going to the hell seeks for
a friend. Azerbaijan found this friend long ago – it’s Turkey, the core
of their relations being not the implementation of the principle of
"one nation, two states" or impartial and stable friendship, but their
hatred towards Armenians, in particular, their pathologic attempts
to undermine the international image of Nagorno Karabakh.
>From this viewpoint, the October 20 article by a certain Nazyl Hyldrjak
published in SABAH Turkish newspaper isn’t accidental at all.
According to the article, it appears that from the 11th century up to
the 1800s Karabakh was under the Turkish authority. Though the same
article emphasizes quite needlessly that "Tayip Erdogan has bright
memory", however, the Turkish newspaper’s memory is questionable.
Otherwise, they would remember that between the 11th century and the
1920s of the 20th century their predecessors were repeatedly defeated
in Karabakh and its approaches, and saving their lives, they cut and
ran without glancing back.
The fact that Azerbaijan has a great experience in distorting
and falsifying historical matters and events is well-known. So, to
console fraternal Azerbaijan, the Turkish SABAH, excelling its younger
brother, demonstrates a bright example of disseminating fabrications,
misinforming and misleading its multi-thousand readers. Probably,
the newspaper’s editorial staff is well aware of its readers’ being
ignorant of the historical events related to the region. So, they
can be inspired with any nonsense, such as the misinformation that
Karabakh was once part of the Ottoman Empire, and when it passed to
Russia, 95% of its population made the Turks.
SABAH newspaper’s hyperbolic imagination has no limits. Outbidding
the Azerbaijani mass media in this issue as well, the newspaper blames
Russia for allegedly expelling the Turkish population from Karabakh in
the past centuries, instead populating this territory with Armenians.
Fortunately, this newspaper doesn’t know from what planet the Armenians
have arrived in this region. If it knew, it would surely write about
this too. With a small dash of the pen, the newspaper trebles the
number of Azerbaijanis displaced as a result of the Karabakh war,
bringing it to 1,5 million. Moreover, it turns out that the ancient
manuscripts kept in the Shushi Museum were stolen by Armenians. The
newspaper considers it needles to note what alphabet the nomadic
tribes (now Azerbaijanis), which had no script of their own, used
while creating those manuscripts in the ancient period and what
they represent.
The newspaper also keeps silence about the Azerbaijanis’ atrocities
towards the peaceful Armenian population of Sumgait, Baku, Kirovabad,
Maragha, and tens of other settlements. Instead, the newspaper
considered it to be its sacred duty to touch upon the events in
Khojalu, surely, exaggerating sufficiently the number of killed
and wounded and representing Armenians as monsters. Naturally,
we shouldn’t expect true information about the Karabakh events from
SABAH newspaper. Certainly, it will not state that Armenians provided
the civilian population of Khojalu with a special corridor for safely
leaving the scene of the military actions and that the tragic events
took place not in the territory of Khojalu, but at the approaches
to Aghdam – a territory controlled by the Azerbaijani armed forces,
specifically, by the hordes of the Azerbaijani National Front. How
could the Armenians guess that for the change of the leadership, the
National Front adventurers could open fire on their own compatriots
and kill the unarmed and helpless people? Maybe, the "hotheads"
of the Azerbaijani National Front had no alternative for coming to
power – they would, first, ascribe the incident to Armenians, then,
which is most important, will blame the authorities for their criminal
indifference about ensuring the security of the Azerbaijani civilian
population. Generally, the Azerbaijanis filled the Internet with false
propaganda of the so-called "Khojalu Genocide", its main organizer
being the State Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which, in particular,
for exaggerating the situation, used outright forgery and presented
the photos of disfigured corps in Kosovo as those of the Khojalu
tragedy victims.
SABAH newspaper seems to be infected with senile marasmus from the
Azerbaijani media, since they have similar symptoms. Otherwise,
it would have slightly cited Ayaz Mutalibov – the ex-president of
Azerbaijan and another hater of Armenians. However, the Azerbaijani
National Front leaders should be given credit for their calculations
with extremely high precision. The SABAH deliberately keeps deathly
silence about all this and instead, as if by chance, writes: "Maybe,
the Turkish Public Television should start showing a TV serial about
the occupation of Nagorno Karabakh and the pogroms in Khojalu?"
Surely, coming forth with a suggestion is not a sin. A sin is
distortion of the truth. I don’t think that SABAH newspaper can
ever remit its sins. But, it’s worth striving for this, at least,
for self-cleaning. And maybe, the Turkish Public Television should
start its TV serials with the events of 1915? Will SABAH newspaper
ever have the courage to come forth with such a suggestion?
As for Turkey’s position on Karabakh, the NKR takes it, to say the
least, with cool indifference.