“KHOJALU” HASN’T GOT ITS LEGAL ASSESSMENT YET
Thursday, 14 March 2013 15:02
Chairman of the NKR NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations
Vahram ATANESIAN is answering our questions: – Mr. Atanesian,
I would like to draw your attention to the article of Director of the
Moscow Institute for Political and Social Research in the Black Sea
and Caspian Region Vladimir Zakharov, in which the author expressed
concern about the fact that the Armenian party did not work on a
proper level with other states to give an impartial assessment of
the Khojalu events.
At the same time, the Russian political scientist recalled the document
adopted by the Czech Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee, which
qualified the Khojalu events as genocide.
We know that the Czech Republic is one of the states, which
immediately responded to the extradition of Azeri murderer Ramil
Safarov, condemning the Azerbaijani-Hungarian deal.
– The document adopted by the Czech Parliament’s Foreign
Relations Committee, which was signed by the Committee Chairman,
didn’t contain the word “genocide”. Apparently, it is the Azerbaijani
interpretation, since the document noted that “tragic events took
place there, leading to human deaths”. The events were evaluated as
the most massive killings of civilians during the Karabakh war. As for
the fact that this country responded to Safarov’s extradition and then
to the events in Khojalu, this happened due to the consistent work
of the Azerbaijani party. Let’s admit the truth. It is known that
Azerbaijan uses great efforts and amounts for presenting Khojalu
as a military crime committed by the Armenian party. Azerbaijan
is conducting everyday and quite successive propaganda works on the
Khojalu issue: the initiative “Justice to Khojalu” is sponsored by the
Heydar Aliev Foundation, the chairwoman of which is Mehriban Alieva and
the vice-chairwoman is Aliev’s daughter Leyla. The latter spends a lot
of time abroad, introducing herself as the author of the initiative.
Naturally, when a similar action is implemented on the presidential
family level, the foreign diplomatic, expert, and information circles
are more susceptible towards this person. Perhaps, truth doesn’t play
such a great role in politics as lobbying. The statement of the Czech
Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee should be considered as a
manifestation of this lobbying.
– Unfortunately, we can’t say the same about the Armenian
party. What do you think of this?
– I’d like to be frank and use non-diplomatic formulations. Our
approach to this issue isn’t regulated at all: any political, military
or public figure says what he thinks. Recently, one of the Azerbaijani
mass media has re-published an article by Levon Melik-Shakhnazaryan,
in which he described Khojalu as the greatest victory of the Armenian
weapon. Some formulations of the article profited the Azerbaijani
party, which, referring to them, stated: look what is written about
Khojalu by the Armenian political figure who chaired the NKR Supreme
Soviet’s Foreign Relations Standing Committee in 1992. The Azerbaijani
party has repeatedly referred to the co-published book of Margar and
Seda Melkonians, which is dedicated to the memory of Monte Melkonian
and which contains regrettable mistakes. The book author is a person
who has never been to the NKR and who didn’t see what had happened
in Khojalu. Moreover, Margar didn’t meet his brother after Khojalu.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t prevent the conditions, which didn’t
correspond to the reality and which were disputable. We should also
note that during the military activities and the following days the
political and military authorities of Karabakh missed the control
over any journalist visiting Khojalu. And the Azerbaijani party has
recently published photos by St. Petersburg journalist Victoria Ivleva,
which were alleged made on February 27, 1992, in Khojalu. The Armenian
party didn’t respond, while it could, at least, apply to the woman
for denial. It isn’t excluded that the material is fabricated.
The Azerbaijanis usually use the photos related to the mass massacres
in Kosovo or Zagreb (the capital of Croatia), presenting them as
the events in Khojalu. A website on Khojalu in Armenian, Russian,
and Azerbaijani is created in the RA, which is an abundant source
of documents, photos, and even videos, but the propaganda activity
cannot be generally considered satisfactory.
– The Khojalu-related facts, testimonies of witnesses and all
other materials need to be analyzed, which, let’s admit, is almost
out of any attention.
– Today, we have the goal of giving a legal assessment to the
Khojalu events. Huge legal vacuum exists here, and the corresponding
bodies do not work properly. I know some materials that are put into
circulation by so-called head of the executive power of Khojalu Elman
Mamedov who is currently a member of the Azerbaijani Milli Mejlis
and is always involved in international business. But, no one from
the Armenian side provides any material to the countries where this
political figure has meetings. Mamedov reported to the parliamentary
commission, researching the Khojalu events, that together with a few
other people, he had been fighting 8 or 9 hours against the Armenian
soldiers, who had surrounded them, in a gulch, 2 or 3 kilometers
from Aghdam.
According to him, he reached Aghdam on February 26, late in the
evening. No one says the following: if fighting 8 hours against the
Armenian fighters, 2 or 3 kilometers from Aghdam, is a real case,
so the shots had to be heard in Aghdam. Corresponding support had
to be provided to them from Aghdam. So, his report is false. And
giving testimonies to the Azerbaijani Prosecutor’s Office, Elman
Mamedov didn’t note this fact. If he noted this, a criminal case had
to be filed then. Mamedov spread around the world that he had lost 30
relatives during the Khojalu events. The matter is that the 30 people
didn’t include his parents, wife, child, sister or brother. So, who
were they? The Azerbaijani party says that it wasn’t informed about
the humanitarian corridor. In that case, why did they leave Khojalu
through the Karkar watercourse, instead of the Khojalu-Askeran highway,
which was open? Especially that Khojalu wasn’t fired from Askeran. Or,
who took the people to the forests? There are numerous questions. Let’s
recall another information, which was recorded by the Azerbaijani
National Security Ministry. On February 16, two citizens of Khojalu,
Orujev and Musaev, reached Aghdam from Khojalu. On February 18,
the group returned, and 3 people joined it. The group brought 3000
bullets to Khojalu from Aghdam. On February 11, the Ministry of
National Security submitted a document to the Azerbaijani Security
Council, which clearly stated that there were two ways for Khojalu
population’s evacuation – the gas line to Kyatuk and the Garagaya
site near Shelli, where they would be met by the forces, which would
come from Aghdam. The largest mass murder site was Garagaya. If
the massacres were committed by the Armenian party, so the way
for evacuation was provided to the Armenian self-defense forces by
the Azerbaijani National Security Ministry. Do you imagine such a
thing? And was the Armenian party really able to bring a punitive
detachment to Shelly, which is in half a kilometer from Aghdam? So,
we can bring thousands contradictions of the kind, which is given
in the propaganda materials of the Azerbaijani party. And to this
end, expertise works are needed. I’m talking about open sources
of information, but there are also close sources, which we do not
possess. And we should submit corresponding requirements to the
parliaments, which make similar statements. Finally, 181human bodies
were subjected to forensic medical examination in Aghdam, while the
Azerbaijani party stated over 600 victims.
– Doesn’t the position of some US states regarding the Khojalu
events give reason for thinking? And if even our foreign friends are
expressing their concern, it means that the Armenian party has much
to do.
– I think there is a problem of psychological ban, which is felt
even in places. If an attempt is made to take a step in line with the
international situation or to express any point of view, it does not
receive corresponding understanding. Today, the Azerbaijani party is
using the Jewish lobbying in a very gentle way. For example, it made
the Ghuba events a subject of discussions. The Stepan Shahumyan-led
troops of the communist regime realized a pursuit there, leading to
civilian casualties, and this was presented as an organized pogrom
against the highland Jews by Armenians. We know that the Jews are
very sensitive towards the events related to them. And we cannot
make a statement to join those who remember all the victims of any
Genocide in order that one can say tomorrow that paying tribute to the
memory of the Sumgait victims, the NKR remembers also about those of
the Holocaust. We should work with the Jews, as the abilities of the
Jewish lobbying are known all over the world. Let’s refer to Khojalu:
recently, the Azerbaijanis have placed a petition, signed by 100 000
people, at the official site of the White House. According to the
USA Constitution, if such a number of people apply to the American
Government, the latter must respond to it. And the Azerbaijanis
placed the issue of the “Khojalu Genocide”. Though they got a very
tough answer, but it is today’s picture. What it will be tomorrow? We
should also remember that the Azeris are greatly supported by Turkey
using all the channels. And what can we say about the fact that 7
states of the USA have issued different statements on the Khojalu
events? And if the Czech Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee
has issued a statement, we shouldn’t start working with this state
after this. We should conduct coordinated work with all the states,
putting a package of documents into circulation. All the states have
their websites, at which we should place our materials; to this end,
we should unite the efforts of the diplomacy, the Armenian Diaspora’s
structures, and the NKR Permanent Representations.
– The Khojalu issue seems to get greater publicity with
years. What is it conditioned by?
– The Azerbaijani party has made the issue especially acute
for the recent years. The version I’m going to put forward may seem
too bold, but I’m convinced of this. An attempt is made to insure
the Azerbaijani authorities from further discoveries. Our goal is to
achieve the legal assessment; if needed, the parties should create
a corresponding commission, which will disclose the documents of the
Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. In particular, military activities on
attacking Askeran and lifting the blockade of Khojalu were planned
for February 25, 2:30 pm. But, no commander appeared at the Aghdam
conscript station this time. Why didn’t the military activities take
place? Artillery commander of the Aghdam troops Colonel Nechiporenko
stated to the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s investigator that he had
realized the command of F. Hajiev, launching 2 full charges of ”Grad”
device, i.e. 80 missiles in the direction of Khojalu to destroy the
airport. And, according to them, the greatest panic occurred after the
airport-adjacent houses were burnt. Putting similar facts together,
we can firmly imagine the events. The truth is that everybody in
Azerbaijan was waiting for Mutalibov’s resignation. For assessing
the then political situation in Azerbaijan, it is enough to recall
the ultimatum of the Popular Front addressed to Ayaz Mutalibov and
published on February 18, 1992 in Azadlygh newspaper. ”…If you
don’t resign voluntarily, so the Popular Front of Azerbaijan will
not be able to escape bloodshed”.
Õ~YRuzan ISHKHANIAN