- 27.10.2019
- Armenia:
- arm
Former Defense Minister of RA (1999-2000), Lieutenant General Vagharshak Harutyunyan believes that three factors led to the crime of October 27, 1999. first, the Meghri version of the Karabakh conflict, then the issue of keeping power and, of course, the issue of financial losses. He said this today in a conversation with journalists on the 20th anniversary of the events of October 27 in Yerablur.
It should be noted that according to Harutyunyan, Meghri’s version was discussed in his presence by the 2nd President of the Republic of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, and the then President of Azerbaijan. Heydar Aliyev between July 1999 in Sadarak. At that time, Meghri’s version was presented as follows. The territory of the former Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Region (NKM) and Lachin are connected to Armenia as a corridor between Armenia and Artsakh. Instead, Armenia ceded the Meghri region (with the 1988 borders) to Azerbaijan, so that Azerbaijan would have a land connection with Nakhichevan. However, in this way, Armenia lost its land connection with Iran, writes Sputnik.
It was an exclusively American initiative, and Robert Kocharyan and Heydar Aliyev was introduced to the American Key West, thus receiving the informal name of the Key West version. It is also known among the people as the Meghri version, but it has never been discussed as an official version of the settlement within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.
Vagharshak Harutyunyan also claims that at that time Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan was against that option.
“He was against it, we know very well, in his notes he expressed what Meghri means for Armenia, it is an important part that ensures Armenia’s security and connection with Iran,” added Harutyunyan.
Referring to the news about Nairi Harutyunyan’s early release, Harutyunyan said that now, 20 years after the crime, Nairi Hunanyan has the right to apply for parole.
“His testimony can be divided into two phases. before and after May 2, 2000. Until May 2, Nairi Hunanyan was testifying, from which it became clear that there were organizers. After May 2, he took all the blame on himself and declared that there were no organizers,” said Harutyunyan and emphasized that everyone understands that it is impossible to organize such a crime with 5 people.
Let’s remind that on October 27, 1999, the gang led by Nairi Hunanyan killed the Speaker of the National Assembly in the session hall of the RA National Assembly. Karen Demirchyan, Prime Minister Run to Sargsyan, interlocutors Yuri Bakhshyan and: Ruben Miroyan, minister for operational issues Leonard Petrosyan, deputy Armenak Armenakyan, Henrikh Abrahamyan and: Mikael Kotanyan:
The preliminary investigation of the initiated criminal case lasted 1.5 years, the trial lasted 2.5 years.
As a result of the trial that ended in 2003, the court decided Nairi Hunanyan, his brother Karen Hunanyan, their uncle Vram Galstyan, as well as Derenik Bejanyan, Edik Grigoryan, Norayr Yeghiazaryan and Ashot Knyazyan sentenced to life, Hamlet Stepanyan to 14 years in prison.
In the 20 years following the crime, 4 of the 8 members of the group died under different circumstances.