The Artsakh War Chronology

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Defeats force Azerbaijan to declare state of emergency

Azerbaijani President Abulfaz Elchibey declared a 60-day state of emergency on 2 April and ordered the immediate mobilization of young men aged 18-27, according to the Los Angeles Times of 4 April. On 4 April Armenian forces backed by tanks and artillery launched a new offensive on the town of Fizuli, which is located a few miles outside Nagorno-Karabakh's south-east border. The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva estimated on 6 April that tens of thousands of Azerbaijani civilians were fleeing from Kelbadzhar, and that many had died of cold, hunger, and exhaustion on the way, Reuters reported. -Liz Fuller

Responding to a request from Azerbaijani President Abulfaz Elchibey "to use all means at your disposal" to halt the Armenian offensive, Turkish Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel argued that Turkish military assistance to Azerbaijan "would solve nothing", as other nations would then aid Armenia. Turkey and Iran are reportedly in contact over the possibility of bringing pressure to bear on Armenia, according to a Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman. On 10 April, Azerbaijani forces launched counterattacks against Armenian villages in the north-east and south-east of Nagorno-Karabakh; the Armenian Foreign Ministry protested at what it termed an Azerbaijani incursion into the Armenian raion of Kafan, near the Iranian border, on 10 April in which
eight Armenian troops were killed. Armenian forces continued the artillery bombardment of Fizuli, southeast of Nagorno-Karabakh An Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman charged on 16 April that Turkey was sending arms and troops to Azerbaijan via Nakhichevan, and hinted that Armenia might shoot down Turkish transport planes that crossed its air
space, On 17 April Azerbaijani forces launched a counter-offensive in Kelbadzhar and shot down an Armenian transport helicopter evacuating wounded troops from the north-east of Nagorno-Karabakh 93-05-05 Article: In compliance with last week's UN Security Council resolution, Armenian troops have begun to withdraw from the Kelbadzhar region of Azerbaijan which they occupied in late March Apparently ethnic Armenian fighters see the current paralysis of power in Baku as an opportunity to expand gains in the regions lying between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia 93-07-05 3,000 Armenian troops with armored vehicles

Armenian forces continued to advance on the town of Agdam just east of Nagorno-Karabakh

Armenian forces continued to advance on the town of Agdam just east of Nagorno-Karabakh, shelling Karabakh forces backed by tanks took the strategic town of Agdam on 23 July after street fighting in which up to 500-Azerbaijani soldiers were killed, Western agencies reported. A Karabakh Armenian spokesman told the Los Angeles Times (25 July) that the occupation of Agdam had been imperative as Azerbaijani artillery had used it as a base to shell the Karabakh capital, Stepanakert. The town of Fizuli, south-east of Nagorno-Karabakh, fell to Armenian forces on 18 June thousands of Azerbaijani refugeees from the current fighting are fleeing towards the Azerbaijani-Iranian frontier Armenian forces took the town of Dzhebrail, south of Nagorno-Karabakh and 14 kilometers from the Azerbaijani-Iranian frontier, during the night of 18-19 August, Western agencies reported. Iran would retaliate against Armenia if its peace and border security were threatened; and it suggested joint Iranian-Turkish military action in support of Azerbaijan 93-09-01 According to an Azerbaijani Defense Ministry source, Armenian forces are advancing on the town of Kubatli, 7 km from the Armenian border. In an apparent attempt to bring pressure to bear on the Armenian government, Iran has mounted large-scale military exercises near its frontier with Armenia 93-09-02 Speaking in Ankara, Turkish President Suleyman Demirel affirmed that Turkey would continue to provide Azerbaijan with material, moral and political support.

The towns of Kubatli, Zangelan and Goradiz in southeastern Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy artillery bombardment on 23-October, IRNA reported on 24 October. An Azerbaijani presidential spokesman claimed that troops from Armenia had launched an offensive against Goradiz, while Karabakh representatives in Stepanakert and Baku charged that the Azerbaijanis had attacked Gadrut raion in the south of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian forces backed by tanks took the town of Zangelan on 29 October, inflicting heavy losses on the Azerbaijani defenders, Renewed fighting in the Beilagan raion of Nagorno-Karabakh on 11-12 December resulted in heavy casualties,

reported Interfax and ITAR-TASS. The Azerbaijani government and the Karabakh Armenian authorities have accused each other of beginning the new offensive. Both claim that the enemy lost up to 200 men plus armored vehicles or tanks in the fighting.

Article: Karabakh Armenian forces were forced to retreat on 28 December from mountain positions surrounding Agdam, east of Nagorno-Karabakh, following fierce fighting that resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, according to a Karabakh Armenian spokesman quoted by AFP. The spokesman attributed the Azerbaijani success to the presence

of Afghan mujahidin and to orders that Azerbaijani deserters from the front line be shot on the spot.

AZERBAIJAN SEEKS TO RECRUIT BRITISH MERCENARIES

Article: The Azerbaijani authorities are negotiating with a group of British and Turkish businessmen in an arms-and-mercenaries-for-oil deal which reportedly has the tacit support of the British government,

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The Ceasefire

KARABAKH ARMENIANS ACCEPT CEASE-FIRE PROPOSAL

On 28 April the Karabakh Armenian authorities agreed to the Russian proposal for a cease-fire in the region of the Karabakh conflict, in accordance with the agreement signed in Moscow on 18 February between the defense ministers of Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, Interfax and ITAR-TASS reported. The cease-fire will take effect as of 00:01 hours on 29 April. Meanwhile a CSCE delegation traveling in southwest Azerbaijan was subjected to artillery fire by Armenian armed formations, but no casualties were reported.

AZERBAIJAN BELATEDLY SIGNS BISHKEK KARABAKH PROTOCOL

Date: 94-05-10

Article: On 8 May Azerbaijan's parliament chairman Rasul Guliev signed the Bishkek protocol calling for a cease-fire in Nagorno-Karabakh to be enforced by CIS peacekeeping troops, Russian special envoy Vladimir Kazimirov told Interfax on 9 May. Guliev insisted on two minor changes in the text of the protocol, which must still be ratified by the Azerbaijani parliament. For the cease-fire to become effective it must be supplemented by a second document outlining the

three-stage Russian proposal for a settlement of the conflict. The first stage provides for a cessation of hostilities over a 6-day period; the second stage comprises the liberation of the six occupied districts outside the confines of Nagorno-Karabakh, an exchange of prisoners, the return of refugees and the restoration of communications; the third stage is negotiations on the status of Karabakh and of the Lachin corridor linking Karabakh with Armenia. Liz Fuller,

KARABAKH CEASE-FIRE AGREEMENT SIGNED

Article: The defense ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan and the commander of the Karabakh army signed an agreement at midnight on 11 May on a cease-fire to take effect at midnight on 12 May, Interfax reported. Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow on 12 May a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman greeted the cease-fire. Russian special envoy for Karabakh, Vladimir Kazimirov, told Interfax on 11 May that he was in favor of a summit between the

Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Moscow once negotiations on a draft settlement of the conflict had made progress. Also on 11 May, Azerbaijani opposition parties denounced parliament speaker Rasul Guliev for signing the Bishkek protocol on the grounds that its ratification would signify the de facto recognition by Azerbaijan of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and create the foundations for the stationing of Russian troops on

Azerbaijani territory, according to Interfax.

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1991г.

POLITICAL SYNOPSIS OF THE YEAR: AZERBAIJAN’S WITHDRAWAL FROM THE USSR. REESTABLISHEMNT OF THE STATE SYSTEM OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN OF 1918-1920 AND REFUSAL TO BECOME THE LEGAL SUCCESSOR OF AzSSR. ESTABLISHMENT OF NKR IN TERRITORIES WHICH DID NOT BELONG TO THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN DUE TO THE FACT THAT AZERBAIJAN REFUSED TO BECOME THE LEGAL SUCCESSOR OF AzSSR (THIS IS ONE OF THE ARGUMENTS JUSTIFYING THE ABOVE STATEMENT). BREAKUP OF THE USSR.
April 30 - The start of Оperation ''Circle". The people of Martunashen, Getashen (Khanlar Region), Berdadzor and most of the settlements of Hadrut Region of MKAO were forcefully deported by the armed units of the Soviet Army and the Azerbaijani OMON.
Comment: Before the start of operation “Circle” the units of the 4th Soviet Army located in AzSSR were passed to the disposition of the Azerbaijani administration by Moscow. The 23rd division of the 4th Army participated in operation “Circle” from the direction of Shahumyan Region.
August 13 - A punitive group of Soviet soldiers which participated in operation “Circle” in the village of Aterk was taken hostage by “Parandzem”, women’s detachment of the Armenian home-guards.
August 18 - An attempt of coup d'etat was made in Moscow. The putsch of the State Committee of Emergency Regime (SCER).
August 28 - Azerbaijan declared about “Reestablishment of State Independence”.
Comment: The declaration promulgated the reestablishment of the Mousafat Republic of Azerbaijan which existed from 1918 to 1920 and de jure was not acknowledged.
September 2 - The establishment of the Republic of Mountainous Karabagh (NKR) was proclaimed at the joint session of the Council of People’s Delegates of MKAO, the Shahumyan Regional Council of People’s Delegates with the participation of the councils of the people’s delegates at all levels.
Comment: The Law of the USSR “On Procedures for Settling Issues Related to Withdrawal of Soviet Republics from the USSR” of April 3 served as the legal grounds for the declaration. The aforementioned law defined the right of autonomous territorial units and ethnic groups living jointly within a specific territory to determine independently their state-legal status in the event of breakup of the USSR.
September 21 - The referendum on independence was conducted in Armenia.
Comment: The referendum was conducted within the territory of the former ASSR. Thus, the political leaders of Armenia seemed to decline the joint resolution on merging of Mountainous Karabagh with Armenia of December 1, 1989.
September 20-23 - Russia and Kazakhstan launched a emissary mission. Yeltsin and Nazarbayev visited Stepanakert, Baku and Yerevan.
September 23 - The Joint Communique on the results of emissary mission of B. Yeltsin, the president of the Russian Federation and N. Nazarbayev, the president of Kazakhstan was announced in Zheleznovodsk.
October 16 – The presidential elections were held in the Republic of Armenia. Levon Ter-Petrossian was elected the first president. The elections were held exclusively within the territories of the former ASSR.
October 18 - The constitutional act “On State independence of the republic of Azerbaijan” was adopted.
Comment: By considering the establishment of the Soviet power in Azerbaijan (April, 1921) as the annexation of Azerbaijan with the Soviet Russia, the constitutional act confirmed the refusal of the Republic of Azerbaijan to become the legal successor of AzSSR. Such refusal assumed determination of the borders that were claimed by the Republic of Azerbaijan because the Mousafat Republic of Azerbaijan was devoid of any officially determined borders. However, the constitutional act was restricted to a legally senseless formulation. It was stated that Baku laid claim to “the historically formed borders”. Today’s Azerbaijan has not officially announced about its legitimate borders (they do not exist even now!). In essence, these borders are attributed to Azerbaijan from outside, by the “international community”. The refusal from accepting the legal succession meant termination by Azerbaijan of all legal relations with respect of the territories which were included in the AzSSR in 1921 on the basis of the agreements and covenants which still remain effective. This assumed that the promulgated NKR occupies the territories which did not belong to the Republic of Azerbaijan.
November 20 - A military helicopter with the key persons of the Azerbaijani president’s team on board crashed near Aghdam.
Comment: Baku immediately announced that the helicopter was shot down by the Karabaghers. However, it was concluded by the special commission that the helicopter crashed because fire was opened inside the aircraft.
November 23 - The law on annihilation of MKAO was passed in Baku.
Comment: In the context of the Soviet legislation on state governance the issue of MKAO was never regarded as the internal affair of AzSSR. Neither could the issue of MKAO be the internal affair of the Republic of Azerbaijan which refused to be the legal successor of AzSSR and lost its rights to both Mountainous Karabagh and Nakhichevan defined in agreements and covenants. Moreover, MKAO did not exist as such because on its basis the Republic of Mountainous Karabagh was promulgated.
November 27 - The resolution of the USSR State Council acknowledged that the Directive of the Republic of Azerbaijan of November 23 was anti-constitutional.
December 10 - The referendum on independence with the participation of independent observers was held in NKR.
December 8 -11 – A new union of states, CIS (Cooperation of Independent States) was founded by three Soviet republics, Russia, Belorussia and the Ukraine in a place in Belorussia called ‘Belovezhskaya’ Forest.
December 12 – The parliament of the Russian Federation took a decision on nullifying the Covenant on Establishment of USSR of December 21, 1922.
December 15 – The referendum on independence was conducted in Azerbaijan.
December 21 – The establishment of CIS was approved in Alma-Ata by all former Soviet republics, excluding the Baltic states and Georgia.
December 25 – The president of the USSR M. Gorbachov resigned.
December 28 – The first parliamentary elections of independent NKR were held.
December 30 - The leaders of the CIS countries appealed to Azerbaijan and Armenia to restart the process of negotiations.

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1992

POLITICAL SYNOPSIS OF THE YEAR: BEFORE 1991 THE WEST WAS FOR THE FAIR AND DEMOCRATIC SETTLEMENT OF THE ISSUE “WHICH WOULD IN FACT REFLECT THE VIEW OF THE PEOPLE OF MOUNTAINOUS KARABAGH” (citation from the Resolution of the US Senate) AND CRITICIZED THE ACTIONS OF MASS VIOLENCE AGAINST THE ARMENIAN POPULACE OF AZERBAIJAN. HOWEVER, AFTER THE BREAKUP OF THE SOVIET UNION THE WEST MADE AN ABRUPT SHIFT IN ITS POSITION AND SUPPORTED THE IDEA OF THE “BREAKUP BY REPUBLICS”, AND, THEREFORE, THE IDEA OF INTACTNESS OF THE BORDERS OF AzSSR. THE PRINCIPLE OF TERRITORIAL INTACNESS WAS ALSO APPLIED WITH RESPECT OF THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN AND THE FORMER BORDERS OF AzSSR WERE INVOLUNTARILY ASSIGNED TO IT DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN WAS THE ONLY FORMER SOVIET REPUBLIC TO WHICH THE SAID PRINCIPLE WAS INAPPLICABLE IN LIGHT OF THE EXISTING INTERNATIONA AGREEMENTS. THESE DOCUMENTS LIMITED THE SOVEREIGNITY OF BAKU IN MOUNTAINOUS KARABAGH AND NAKHICHEVAN. IN ADDITION, THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN REFUSED TO BE THE LEGAL SUCCESSOR OF AzSSR. THE LEGAL GROUNDS WERE IGNORED AND THE ISSUE WAS GIVEN A POLITICAL COLORING. THE FORMULA “BREAKUP BY REPUBLICS” WAS BENEFITIAL FOR RUSSIA AS WELL. THUS, AZERBAIJAN RECEIVED A “PERMISSION” TO START A WAR AGAINST NKR AND AT THE SAME TIME SHIELD ITSELF WITH THE PRINCIPLE OF THE INTACTNESS OF BORDERS WHICH WAS NOT APPLICABLE IN ITS CASE. THE CONFLICT WHICH USED TO BE THE INTERNAL AFFIAR OF THE SOVIET UNION GREW INTO AN INTERNATIONAL ARMED CONFLICT BETWEEN NKR AND THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN AFTER THE BREAKUP OF THE USSR. THE PEOPLE OF KARABAGH WITHSTOOD AND BROKE THE CIRCLE OF BLOCKAGE. BSCE, USA, RUSSIA, TURKEY AND IRAN BEGAN COMPETING FOR HOLDING A LEAD POSITION IN THE GAP.
January 6 - The declaration of independence was promulgated by the parliament of NKR. Artur NKRtchyan was elected the first president of NKR.
January 16 - The officers of 366th Regiment distributed in Stepanakert refused to obey to Azerbaijan in the war against NKR.
January 25-26 - The Azeri troops led by the minister of defense Mekhtiyev attacked the village of Karintak.
Comment: It was the first major armed operation of Azerbaijan against NKR after the declaration of independence by Mountainous Karabagh. In the course of the two-day battle the home-guards completely defeated the Azeri troops which attacked from Shushi. It was the first major military victory of the newly established NKR.
January 30 - The CIS countries were admitted to BSCE.
Comment: After the breakup of the USSR Europe expanded its political borders and hastily tried to take under its auspice the settlement of the Karabagh conflict, and, naturally, other conflicts in the post-Soviet terriroty.
February 10-11 – The village of Mallibeili from where Stepanakert was regularly bombarded by the artillery was liberated.
February 23 - The presidium of the Supreme Council of NKR adopted a resolution “On Legal Status of Armed Formations of NKR”. The dispensed detachments were united into the army of self-defense of NKR. Arkadi Ter-Tadevosian was designated as the commander of the headquarters of the army.
February 25-26 – Liberation of Khojalu, one of the key fulcra of the Azerbaijani Army. Details in: "Khojalu".
Comment: The army of self-defense of NKR notified the Azeri authorities in advance about the forthcoming operation and left a corridor for the evacuation of the peaceful people. Nevertheless, at the end of the corridor, which was under the control of the National Front of Azerbaijan, a storm of fire was opened on the peaceful people. Even today official Baku continues blaming Karabagh for the murder of peaceful people. Nevertheless, some time after the tragedy the president of Azerbaijan Moutalibov charged NFA (National front of Azerbaijan) with the fault for the massacre. Actually, the slaughter was organized by NFA in order to overthrow the president and come to power. This was proven by the events following the tragedy, as well as the testimony of independent witnesses.
March 24 - The BSCE resolution was adopted in Helsinki on convening the Minsk International Conference on Mountainous Karabagh. In the resolution Mountainous Karabagh is identified as part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. At the BSCE session it was decided to invite “the elected and other representatives of Mountainous Karabagh” to the conference. BSCE established the institution of co-chairmen of the Minsk Group.
Comment: Since then the Armenian diplomacy became the hostage of the misinterpreted principle of the territorial unity which cannot be applied to today’s Azerbaijan in light of the existing agreements and covenants on Nakhichevan and Mountainous Karabagh, and, therefore, the international law. Meanwhile, from its very beginning the process of settling the conflict was impeded by the efforts to overcome a illusory contradiction which allegedly existed between the principles of territorial unity and the right of the nation to self-determination. The phrase “elected and other representatives of Mountainous Karabagh” given in the resolution of BSCE, formally allowed the representative of the so-called Azerbaijani community of Mountainous Karabagh to participate, even if nominally, in the talks (despite the efforts of Baku the aforementioned party has not been acknowledged as an independent side of the conflict or participant of the negotiations process). The issue of the main victims of the Karabagh conflict, i.e., the Armenians of the former AzSSR, remained beyond the negotiation process due to the incompetence of the Armenian diplomacy. The non-critical attitude of the Armenian diplomacy to the aforementioned document of BSCE pre-determined the outline of the Minsk process and resulted in the fact that the legal grounds of the problem were disregarded. The institution of co-chairmen of the Minsk Group (MG) of BSCE was established. The special role and status of Russia in the settlement of the Karabagh conflict was accepted, and therefore, Russia was assigned to be the permanent co-chairman of MG. This step aimed at mitigating the competition between Russia and Europe in the region.
March 26 – The UN Special Bureau decided on the form of its participation in the settlement of the Karabagh conflict, i.e., support to peace-keeping efforts of BSCE. Thus, the United Nations abstained from the direct involvement in the settlement process.
April 10 - The Azerbaijani army occupied the village of Maraga (Martakert Region) and massacred the peaceful population of the village. Details in: "Мaraga".
April 14 - Artur NKRtchyan, the first president of NKR was assassinated in his apartment.
April 30 - Armenia ceased to supply electric energy to Nakhichevan.
May 2 – The electricity supply was restored.
Comment: Since January 1, 1991 Mountainous Karabagh was entirely blocked. Meanwhile Armenia continued supplying energy to Nakhichevan regularly.
May 8 - 9 – The army of self-defense of NKR liberated Shushi, the historical capital of Mountainous Karabagh. Details in: Shushi
May 15 - The National Front discharged Moutalibov as the “placeman of Moscow”.
May 18 - Lachin was defeated and the “Lachin Corridor” was laid.
June 1 - The government of NKR refused to participate in the forthcoming session of BSCE in Rome where it was invited in the status of the “Armenian community of Karabagh”.
June 1-6 – The extraordinary preparation meeting of the states participating in the conference on Mountainous Karabagh was held in Rome (the future Minsk Group).
June 12-18 – The Azeri army attacked along the entire battle-front. The 23rd Division of the 4th Army (no longer Soviet but Russian Army!) located in Azerbaijan participated in the offensive. Forty thousand refugees fled from the central regions of Karabagh to Stepanakert and Yerevan.
June 15 – The political discussions about acknowledgement of NKR were started by the Supreme Council of Armenia.
Comment: In essence, a political crisis spread at the top level with respect of the political solution of the Karabagh problem. During the breakup of the USSR a referendum of independence was conducted in the territory of the former Soviet Armenia without regard of the joint resolution on reunion of December 1, 1989. Similarly, the presidential elections were held. Armenia remained silent after Karabagh announced about its independence despite the fact that in light of the joint resolution this step meant cessation of Mountainous Karabagh from Armenia. At the same time Armenia did not acknowledge the territorial intactness of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In the opinion of the opposite parties which united in the bloc of “National Accord”, the responsibility for the indefiniteness and inconsistency in the political decisions on Mountainous Karabagh rested with the AANM, the party in power (Armenian All-National Movement). At the session the contradictions surfaced between AANM which was against acknowledging RKM and fraction “National Accord” which was for the immediate acknowledgement of NKR. With some interruptions the tough discussions continued till July 8.
July 5 - The representatives of NKR leave the session of BSCE as a sign of protest against BSCE which neither condemned the Azeri aggression nor decided on the status of Mountainous Karabagh in the course of the negotiation.
July 8 – After tough discussions the Supreme Council of Armenia passed a resolution which read: “any international … document shall be considered unacceptable in case it contains any implications that the Republic of Mountainous Karabagh is part of Azerbaijan”.
July 25 - The organization “Black Sea Economic Cooperation” (BSEC) was established. Armenia was one of the founders of the said organization.
July 29 - President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrossian criticized Dashnakutyun Party in his speech by TV.
July 31 - The delegation of NKR was invited to the BSCE conference in Rome for participation in the 4th round of meetings of the Minsk Group in the status of “elected representatives of Mountainous Karabagh”.
August 11 – Resolution 907 “Act on Supporting Freedom” was adopted by the US House of Representatives where the aggression of Azerbaijan in Mountainous Karabagh was accused and the US administration was prohibited to provide any assistance to Azerbaijan.
August 13 – The Supreme Council of NKR announced about the general mobilization of men at the age from 18 to 45 and military regime was established throughout the republic.
August 15 – The State Committee of Defense (SCD) was established by the Supreme Council of NKR. Robert Kocharyan was assigned as the chairman of SCD.
September 7 - Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of Great Britain, was received in Moscow as a representative of “British Petroleum” company. This marked the start of “oil diplomacy”.
September 15 – As part of the separate initiatives of Russia a confidential meeting was held in Moscow between the official representatives of Azerbaijan and Mountainous Karabagh.
September 19 - Upon the initiative of Pavel Grachov, the Minister of Defense of Russia, an agreement was signed between the defense ministers of the Transcaucasus republics in Sochi which included a covenant on armistice in Mountainous Karabagh.
September 30 – In Yerevan an inter-state agreement was signed between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Armenia on the status of the Russian frontier troops in the territory of Armenia.
November 17 – The anthem and coat-of-arms of NKR were officially approved.
December 6 – A wide-range offensive of the Azeri army on Askeran was embarked.

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Re: The Artsakh war cronology

1993

POLITICAL SYNOPSIS OF THE YEAR: FOLLOWING THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE RUSSIAN TROOPS FROM AZERBAIJAN IT BECAME APPARENT THAT AZERBAIJAN WAS UNABLE TO LEAD THE WAR WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT. DURING THE FIERCE BATTLES THE ARMY OF SELF-DEFENSE OF NKR ENTIRELY OR PARTIALLY LIBERATED THE SOUTHERN AND WESTERN REGIONS OF MOUNTAINOUS KARABAGH (AGHDAM, FIZULI, JHEBRAIL, HORADIZ, KELBAJAR, LACHIN, KUBATLU) WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONNECTED TO THE AUTONOMOUS OBLAST OF MOUNTAINOUS KARABAGH UNDER THE RESOLUTION OF THE CAUCASUS BUREAU OF RUSSIAN COMMUNIST PARTY (OF BOLSHEVIKS). THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN REGIONS OF MOUNTAINOUS KARABAGH, AS WELL AS NAKHICHEVAN STILL REMAINED OCCUPIED BY AZERBAIJAN. THE COMPETITION GREW BETWEEN BSCE AND THE SEPARATELY ACTING INTERESTED COUNTRIES, PARTICULARLY, THE UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA FOR PLAYING THE KEY ROLE IN THE SETTLEMENT OF THE CONFLICT. IN THIS ASPECT RUSSIA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE.
January 5-8 – A trilateral initiative was set forth by Russia, the United States and Turkey, in particular, a new matrix of discussing the issue – “Format 5+1, i.e., Russia, USA, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan plus Mountainous Karabagh”. NKR declined the mediation of Turkey which openly supported Azerbaijan.
January 21 – The resolution of the European Parliament on Armenia was taken which, in essence, emphasized that “more than 300 thousand Armenians were forcefully exiled from Azerbaijan”, supported the efforts of BSCE and criticized “the blockage of Armenia and Mountainous Karabagh by Azerbaijan”.
Febraury 22 -March 1 - The session of the Minsk Group in Rome approved the draft mandate of the lead group of observers. Russia made a proposal on creating a joint coordinating commission (JCC) of the Minsk Group.
March 12 – The last Russian detachment of frontier guards left the town of Prishib in Azerbaijan.
March 1 – The issue of settling the conflict according to the Moscow calendar in view of format “5+1” was discussed in Geneva.
March 31 - April 4 - Azerbaijan ceased the negotiations in the course of discussion of the Moscow timing of the settlement of the conflict.
March 31 – The counter-offensive of the army of self-defense of NKR. Liberation of Kelbajar.
April 21 – In Istanbul the Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrossian met with the Azerbaijani president Elchibey during the funeral of Ozal, the president of Turkey. An agreement was reached on the “package principle” of settling the problem.
April 30 - Resolution 822 was adopted by SB of the United Nations Organizations where it was claimed that the troops of NKR should be immediately withdrawn from Kelbajar although it was acknowledged that Kelbajar was taken by the “local Armenian forces”.
Comment: In essence, the agreement reached between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents on the package solution of the problem was brought to naught by the UN Special Bureau. Moreover, Azerbaijan was incited for taking new military actions.
May 10 – The State University of NKR was opened.
May 4-15 – The revolt of Souret Huseinov, a colonel of the Azeri Army, in Gyanjhi (Gandzak) grew into a coup d'etat in Azerbaijan. G. Aliyev was elected chairman of Millie Mejlis.
June 3-4 - The discussion of the “nine” of the Minsk Group (Germany, USA, Bulgaria, France, Russia, Italy, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Turkey) pertaining to the implementation of UN Resolution # 822 was held in Rome. At the discussion the Time-Schedule of Priority Actions with respect of implementing SB UN Resolution # 822 was approved.
June 11 - In the response of NKR to the initiative of BSCE it was stated that the people of Karabagh were seriously concerned that they “would be cheated again” and in view of the internal political crisis the idea of postponing the time-schedule was proposed.
June 14 - Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrossian made an announcement related to the negative response of NKR to the initiative of BSCE.
June 14 - The joint session of the Supreme Council and the State Committee of Defense of NKR was convened. The acting chairman of the Supreme Council resigned and K. Baburyan was designated to this position.
June 17 – In Lenkoran the Talishes led by Colonel Ali-Akram Goumbatov announced about the establishment of the Talish Republic and claimed on uniting with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
June 13-23 – Some territories of Aghdam, Jhebrail and Fizuli Regions were liberated.
July 27 – August 8 – At the meeting of the Minsk Group held in Rome the Time-Schedule of Priority Actions was approved with respect of implementation of UN Resolutions 822 and 853”.
June 29 - UN Resolution # 853 was adopted.
August 22 - 31- Liberation of Koubatlin Region.
August 17 – In his letter to the chairman of the Supreme Council of NKR Geydar Aliyev set forth the proposal on initiating bilateral negotiations. Analogous messages were received from Abiyev, the Defense Minister and Gouliyev, the vice prime minister of Azerbaijan.
August 23 – The revolt of the Talishes led by Goumbatov was suppressed in Lenkoran.
August 31 - Immediately after the suppression of the revolt in Lenkoran the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azernaijan announced that Azerbaijan had nothing to agree with a “bunch of separatists and terrorists” from Mountainous Karabagh.
September 24 - The Republic of Azerbaijan became member of CIS.
October 3 – Geydar Aliyev was elected president of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
September 9 -11 - A session of the Minsk Group was convened in Moscow for revising the “Timing of Priority Actions”. At the session Mountainous Karabagh was acknowledged as a party involved in the conflict.
November 2 – G. Aliyev made a public statement where he called for “uniting and defeating the Armenians”.
November 12 - Resolution # 884 was adopted by the United Nations Organization which claimed that “the Armenian armed forces should be withdrawn from the occupied Azerbaijani territory”.
December 15 – The Republic of Azerbaijan launched a new wide-range offensive on NKR.

[Armenian]

Re: The Artsakh war cronology

You are doing excellent work here enker Skhara.

[Federate]

Re: The Artsakh War Chronology

April 17, 1993: A Fateful Day in the Battle for Shahumyan
[ 2010/04/26 | 15:14 ]
Sona Avagyan

Commander Shahen Meghryan and 7 “Yeghnik” partisans killed when their helicopter is hit over Gyulistan

“As a leader, Janbulad, flew out in front and I would follow. We reached the hydro-electric and passed through into the forest surrounding the Sarsang Reservoir where the guys from a partisan unit were waiting for us. The guys warmly received us and we began unload the arms and ammunition we had brought. Two or three minutes later, we heard a loud explosion and we all ducked for cover. The guys pointed in the direction of the fire, over to our right. They were firing at us from the direction of Talish.”

This is how Rafik Mehrabyan, helicopter captain with the Armaero airlines, remembers the fateful flight of April 17, 1993.

During the Artsakh War, helicopters would always fly in pairs to the partisan units operating in the Shaumyan Region. On April 17, 1993, the second chopper that took off with Rafik Mehrabyan was shot down over the village of Gyulistan.



Flying in the downed chopper were Shahen Meghryan, leader of the “Yeghnik” partisan unit and seven fighters under his command. The chopper crew of Captain Janbulad Muradyan, Second Pilot Aram Grigoryan, and Mechanic Iosif Mikayelyan, also died.



The helicopter was transporting large amounts of arms and ammunition to the partisan unit. Janbulad’s chopper was the first to land. Rafik’s touched down not far away.

“We’ve been spotted, take immediate evasive action…”

“By a stroke of luck, we later found out that the enemy was firing “Strela” missiles at us. These are missiles especially used against airplanes and choppers. If we had known this at the time, we could have immediately turned off the engines and taken up positions with the partisans and relocated elsewhere. I was already in contact with Janbulad, telling him that we should go to the other said where it’s safer. Janbulad hovered for a moment and then moved off to the right, behind the hill, where we wouldn’t be visible. I touched down a bit away and we started to unload our cargo. But they still hadn’t told us what missiles were being fired at us. I got back on the horn and told Janbulad to watch his back and that there was incoming fire. Janbulad answered, ‘make it snappy, we’ve been spotted.’ We knew that we had trouble on our hands,” recounts Rafik Mehrabyan.

Rafik says that Shahen Meghryan and his fighters piled into Janbulad’s chopper because it was closer.

The “Yeghnik” unit leader was preparing to return to Yerevan. After unloading, Rafik’s chopper was the first to take off.

“I had just taken off and was descending into the valley and turning right to get away from the fire we were taking. I was getting into the flight path for Martakert. I realized the enemy had fired off a second missile at us that most likely missed hitting us. I realized the second missile had indeed been fired when it slammed into a nearby mountain, scorching the place to cinders. I told Janbulad to watch out, that they had fired a second missile. By that time, Janbulad was also airborne and we spotted one another. I told him, ‘let’s get the hell out of here’. I made a wide turn and then saw that Janbulad’s chopper was engulfed in smoke. He had been hot with a third missile. I frantically tried to get him on the radio, but it was too late,” recounts Rafik Mehrabyan.

Flames were shooting out of the chopper. Rafik says that had no idea where the missiles were being fired from.

We retrieved all those who died and buried them in Yerablur

Rafik Mehrabyan says that he and his co-pilot Mushegh tried to land but that the groundcover was too densely forested. On the way back to Martakert, they got in touch with Yerevan and reported that Janbulad’s chopper had been hit but that they couldn’t say what had happened to those inside.

The rest of Shahen Meghryan’s unit had seen what had happened and made their way down to the chopper and reported back to base. Two days later, two helicopters flew in and removed the remains of those who had died.

Stepan Ohanyan, now Deputy Director of Flight Management at Armaero Airlines, was in the helicopter that day that landed on the hilltop as a decoy while the other went down below to retrieve the bodies.

“We didn’t take off until all the bodies had been removed. The Azeris were waiting for us but they only spotted us and opened fire. But, we had landed in a spot just out of range. We got them all out and laid them to rest in Yerablur. They’re all buried side by side in Yerablur,” said Stepan Ohanyan.

Aram Grigoryan, Second Pilot of the downed chopper and Mechanic Iosif Mikayelyan, were posthumously awarded the NKR Military Cross, 2nd Class. Janbulad Muradyan was awarded with the RoA Military Cross, 2nd Class, and the NKR Military Cross, 1st Class.

Helicopters the only way in or out of Artsakh

Rafik Mehrabyan points out that helicopters were the only means of contact with Artsakh from the start of the war till the liberation of Shushi and Lachin in 1992. Afterwards, ground vehicles could also ferry in supplies and personnel.



Rafik says that Erebuni Airport had been completely turned over to the war effort and that they also used military choppers to fly sorties and for transport runs.

Stepan Ohanyan says the best time to fly was when there was cloud cover over Karvatchar and Martakert. The most difficult runs were when they had to make flight to reach the partisan units in Shahumyan. They had to make their way through a wide and dangerous military front.

“We would fly in over the clouds in Shahumyan and see where we could land. It was seat-of-the-pants landing. You have to remember there were no landing strips or anything. You had to pick your spots. If the valleys below were covered we had to land on mountain tops and unload the passengers. Back then we didn’t care who belonged to what political party. Those who arrived armed and ready to fight were the first to get seats in the chopper. Of course, doctors were also a priority, said Stepan Ohanyan.

Sergey Melkonyan, who served as the communications chief for the RoA domestic airports, was in touch with the two choppers who flew in to meet up with the Shahumyan partisans.

Code 200 crackled over the radio…there were fatalities

“I was in contact with the partisans when they reported what had happened. Contact was sporadic due to the weather. When the airwaves cleared the first voice I heard was that of Commander Chalyan Sergey. He gave the code ‘200’ that there were helicopter fatalities,” said Mr. Melkonyan.

Mr. Melkonyan had travelled to Shaumyan back in 1989, to take communications equipment. He was the one to set up periodic communications between Yerevan, Stepanakert and the partisan units and the overall links needed to monitor flights.

“My office became a veritable transceiver station with people filing in and out. There were times when our dead had been evacuated and the news was received with jubilation because our fallen heroes hadn’t fallen into the hands of the enemy. We couldn’t afford to let the enemy use our heroes, whatever their affiliation, to be used as leverage against us in the war. We had already sacrificed so much. We had no right to make any further concessions. The Armenian struggle in Artsakh was something that hadn’t been witnessed since the days of Tigran the Great. Today, lowland Karabakh is completely in the hands of our malevolent neighbor, said Sergey Melkonyan.

Shahen Meghryan and his “Yeghnik” partisan unit were fighting to liberate lowland Karabakh and Shahumyan. Shahen’s brother, Petros Meghryan, who also fought in the war was with Sergey Melkonyan on April 17.

Special brigade named in honor of Shahen Meghryan

“The partisan movement basically started out with 25 local guys. Later on, guys from the “Arabo”, “Tigran Metz” and “Broshyan” units joined up with us in addition to guys from Hoktemberyan. By 1993, after Shahen’s death, a special military unit had been established that was named the Shahen Meghryan Special Operation Brigade. If it hadn’t been for the “Yeghnik” unit our border today in the north would have been the Tartar River, much further south. The Turks were holed up in Haterk, north of the Sarsang, and in Mataghis. But, thank God, due to the “Yeghniks” we control all the way up to Talish, even though there are 7-8 villages in Martakert occupied by the enemy,” said Petros Meghryan.

He lost seven close relatives during the Artsakh War. On April 17, 1993, another relative, Hayk Meghryan, was killed in the helicopter.

The other partisans who died that day were Artak Khachatryan, Grigor Grigoryan, Poghos Simonyan, Rafik Badalyan, Armen Bazyan and Aleksandr Mezhunts.

Poghos Meghryan – Yerevan should recognize Karabakh as part of Armenia

Poghos Meghryan recounts, “While in Shahumyan, I always tried to stay at my brother’s side, that is if he wasn’t ordering me to Yerevan to bring back this or that. Me and Shahen grew up together and we were very close. We were seven brothers and four sisters in the family. I was the tenth child and Shahen, the ninth. He was two years older than me.”

Shahen Meghryan was born in 1952 in the Shahumyan village of Gyulistan, on the northern bank of the Inja River, the current line of contact in the north. In 1975 he graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Yerevan State University. Returning to his native village, he worked as an economist at the Regional Administration. From 1991-1992, he was President of the Regional Executive Committee. From the start of the Karabakh Movement, he assumed the task of organizing the local defense forces.

After the occupation of Shahumyan in 1992, Shahen Meghryan and the partisans under his command waged a nine month struggle to liberate the region until he and the others died on April 17, 1993.

Just a few days before he was killed, Shahen and his men liberated his home town of Gyulistan. They were only able to hold on to the town for two days.

“It was Shahen’s dream that the lands from the Kur to the Araks rivers be united with Armenia. I too, as an Armenian, would link to see such unification. Today, there is much talk and speculation going on about the recognition of Karabakh and such. In my opinion, and I admit I might be wrong or politically a novice, the time has come for Yerevan to recognize Karabakh as an integral part of Armenia, and not as an independent state. Shahen was a wonderful brother and friend to me. Let those who knew him and fought with him add their own comments. There is no one who is without fault, but Shahen was, in my opinion, one of those men who had very few and who took a wealth of knowledge with him to the other world,” said Petros, his brother.



Shahen’s brother and war buddies are convinced that had Shahen not died on that day in the helicopter, the Armenian forces would have liberated the whole of Shahumyan in 1993-19994.

Photos by Hakob Poghosyan

http://hetq.am/en/society/yeghnikner/

[Federate]

Re: The Artsakh War Chronology

Two decades on, Shahumyan, Getashen remain open wounds for Armenians


The Shahumyan-Getashen Compatriotic Union embracing Armenians who were driven out of their native villages in and around northern Karabakh about two decades ago demand that their issue become part of the ongoing internationally mediated talks with Azerbaijan aimed at resolving the longstanding dispute.

Edik Balayan, who heads the union, expresses his concern over what he describes as active talks that have no reference to the formerly Armenian-populated areas in the north of and to the north of Karabakh.

“We demand that the OSCE Minsk Group send a fact-finding group to the Armenian areas currently occupied by Azerbaijan in order to stop their atrocities there,” says Balayan, “The Group’s co-chairmen have repeatedly been urged to conduct a monitoring also in Getashen and Shahumyan, but the Minsk Group has demonstrated a biased attitude towards Azerbaijan.”

Nineteen and 20 years have passed, respectively, since some 21,000 residents of Karabakh’s Shahumyan district and Getashen were forcibly displaced by the Azeris. Eighteen Armenian villages of northern Karabakh were seized by Azerbaijan and still remain occupied by Azeri armed forces.

Balayan says that by the order of the president of Azerbaijan the occupied territories are to be populated by around 35,000 Azeris. In connection with the matter, the Compatriotic Union’s members met with Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan, who reportedly assured them that the matter would be brought up at the negotiations. Still, Balayan believes the issue does not become a matter of negotiations only because of external pressures.

Shahumyan-Getashen Compatriotic Union Board member Mamikon Lalayan believes Nagorno-Karabakh should participate in the negotiations as a full party.

“Only in that case will it become possible to raise the issues of Getashen and Shahumyan,” he says.

Getashen and then Shahumyan were seized as part of the infamous operation codenamed “Ring”. Balayan says that units of the Soviet Army stationed in the Transcaucasus as well as mercenaries actively assisted the Azeris in their military onslaught.

“Had there been no strong military support on their part, after the Armenian seizure of Shushi the discouraged Azeri forces would hardly have managed to seize Shahumyan,” he says.

Fierce fighting back then resulted in the death of 68 combatants and 323 civilians on the Armenian side, with more than 100 people wounded and 420 going missing.

Many since then have speculated about whether the withdrawal from those two districts was a result of some political decision.

Arabo detachment freedom-fighter Hakob Hakobyan claims the exodus of the Armenian population from Shahumyan was due to the oil factor, following some tough interference from the West. He also asserts that the exodus could have been prevented, had there been a tiny bit of support from Armenian political authorities.

“In Shahumyan we were sitting without doing anything for a month, waiting for the order to seize Getashen and Martunashen. Every day they would tell us it was going to be soon, and one day the Azeris launched a large-scale offensive, bringing forth the question of why we had been sitting there doing nothing for a month, waiting for an order,” says Hakobyan.

Arabo detachment commander Manvel Yeghiazaryan ascribes the fall of Getashen and Shahumyan to the absence of a regular army at that time. He says it was volunteers fighting there and they had no corresponding materiel at their disposal. The Soviet Union had just collapsed and the atmosphere was chaotic, he remembers, adding that they were “politically immature and did not understand situation.”

“The political authorities that understood the situation should have helped us, but they would adjust to the situation to keep their power. We must tell the truth to our generations so that the same mistake should not be repeated. We have no right to say for sure that it was the result of political intrigues, but something was wrong, that’s beyond doubt,” says Yeghiazaryan.

Some of the former Armenian population of Getashen and Shahumyan moved to Armenia, others went abroad, spreading all over the world. Balayan says that their folks still have this faith in them that one day they will see their native land liberated and will have an opportunity to return to their homes.

http://armenianow.com/karabakh/30354/getashen_shahumyan_karabakh_territories