NAGORNO-KARABAKH SUPPORTED BY THE DIASPORA
By Selahattin Sevi
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
April 24 2007
[IMPRESSIONS FROM OCCUPIED LANDS-1]
* Nagorno-Karabakh supported by the diaspora
* Davit Melkumuyan is a representative of a Nagorno-Karabakh-based
civil society organization. He was expecting an invitation from the
European Commission.
With the invitation, a visa is required and his hometown of Hankendi
(Stepanakerd) in Nagorno-Karabakh needs to be listed. However, Brussels
sent the invitation to Baku as the European Commission — just like
Azerbaijan and many other countries — recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh
as Azeri territory.
The Armenians of Karabakh, however, declared independence after a
referendum in 1991, which was boycotted by Karabakh Azerbaijanis. In
the subsequent war, Armenia occupied Karabakh and five other adjacent
districts disconnecting Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan. Twenty
percent of Azeri territory has been under Armenian occupation since
then.
Despite negotiations supervised by the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) after the cease-fire in 1994, no
significant progress has been made in getting past the deadlock.
Davit’s current problem is perhaps the most concrete indicator of
the long-standing Nagorno-Karabakh impasse.
Access to Nagorno-Karabakh is possible only through Armenia.
Traveling time for the 330-kilometer-long Yerevan-Hankendi highway
takes six hours. After traveling the Armenian part of the trip, we
approach Lacin, the Azerbaijani city under occupation which serves
as a buffer zone between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia. Vehicles are
stopped by traffic police. It turns out the road is temporarily closed
to traffic because of a military drill for Armenian troops.
Even this alone signals the tension in the region. The commander
directing the drill from his comfortable jeep pushes the troops to
their limits with his orders.
After passing through the Lacin valley, the first thing we see is
a military control point which marks the beginning of the occupied
zone. There is no serious border check. Nobody asks for either
passport or permit. Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied zones seem to
be extensions of Armenian territory. There is a seemingly abandoned
village a few miles away near a brook. This is Zabuk (Aðavnok)
village which Azerbaijanis left after the war. The village is
dilapidated. However, the presence of bee hives tells us there are
people living down there.
The first person we met there is Griþa who told us she came from
Georgia in 1995 and hesitated to give her last name. Asked why she
came here, Griþa responded: "An Armenian is not asked why he or she
is here. An Armenian is born in somewhere, grows up somewhere else,
migrates to another place and dies in a totally different place."
Griþa had to leave her original home. She now lives in a house
abandoned by the Azerbaijanis. She was followed by other 40 families
who did almost the same thing. They asked for no permission. Nearly
120 people live in the village at the moment.
Sonya is the second person we talked to. A teacher in the village
school which has 30 students, Sonya migrated from Taþkesen in
Azerbaijan nine years ago. She has had no news about her home there.
But she misses Baku a lot. Asked if she wants to live in Baku someday,
Sonya responds asking, "Do you believe everything will be fine?"
* After Lacin (Lacin) was destroyed
Lacin is five kilometers ahead of Zabuk. The same situation prevails
there. Public buildings include a post office, a museum and a theatre;
all are in abject condition. The partially usable ones were transformed
into police station and hospital. No Azeri trace is left in the
city. Even civilian buildings were seized.
We hit the road to arrive in Hankendi before it gets dark. We
traveled 40 kilometers in one and a half hours. Soon we realized
why this region is called Nagorno-Karabakh; impassable mountains,
deep valleys and steep roads that make you dizzy. But green plateaus
and a nice spring evening await us in Hankendi after this tiring trip.
Hankendi, Karabakh’s largest city with a population of 140,000,
features classical Soviet architecture which can be observed in a
large square, wide streets, multiple floor social residences and
public buildings. The impact of the Armenian diaspora is felt on the
streets of Hankendi. Armenians abroad gave large sums for restoration
and reconstruction works in the city, including the renovation of the
schools and the construction of social buildings and roads. The newly
erected public buildings openly display names of American-Armenian
millionaires who sponsored the construction work.
The statue of Alek Manukyan, the benefactor known for his generosity
to Karabakh who died in 1996, adorns the city’s main square.
According to Karabakh’s unrecognized foreign minister, Georgi
Petrosyan, monetary aid provided by the diaspora reaches $9-10
million every year. diaspora aid makes up the third largest portion
in Karabakh’s annual budget.
We were amazed when we saw Turkish goods sold in the stores. Local
people show great interest in these products shipped to Karabakh
via third countries. Turkish products marketed in Hankendi include
virtually all the basics, from tomatoes to tea, from socks to fridges.
To be continued..
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