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Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia
On a related note to the above article
OUR GOOD NEIGHBOURS AND MASSACRES OF ARMENIANS IN BAKU
By Armen Manvelian
18/01/2008
AZG Armenian Daily
These days, when everybody is engaged in pre-electoral processes,
very few people will remember the event that took place in the January
of 1990 in Baku. I believe, today it's especially important to write
about the massacres of Armenians in the Soviet Azerbaijan, as due to
the short memory peculiar for the Armenians we start talking about
our so-called "good neighbor" and discuss the possibility of peaceful
co-existence. This topic becomes especially urgent within the context
of the political speeches of some presidential candidates that discuss
the possibility of peaceful co-existence with the Turks and are sure
that we need to make only a couple of territorial concessions to
achieve that peace. Due to the shortage of our memory and to the fact
that we can never learn lessons from our history, our people faced
massacres for several times in the course of their history. In the
very Baku, only in the XX century, Armenians were massacred for three
times, but still, many of the Armenian public figures feel happy,
when visiting Baku or holding days of Azerbaijan in Yerevan.
Anyway, it's worth reminding that for the first time massacres of
Armenians in Baku took place in the February of 1905. The tsar's
secret police armed the gangs of Tatars (this way Azeries were called
before 1918) and ordered them to attack the Armenian districts of
Baku. According to some data, as a result of the clashes, 300 people
were killed, 200 Armenians and 100 Tatars. More brutal massacres took
place in 1918, when Baku was under the control of the Turkish power,
actually. The Azeri Tatars were initially armed by the order of Turkish
Nury Pasha, then by the order of the British military commandment in
the region.
Notwithstanding this sad and notorious history of Baku, many Armenians
used to live in this city already in the times of the Soviet power. It
was quite obvious that the Armenians would become the target for the
Caucasusian Tatars who later become Azeries, as soon as the first
clash between Armenians and Azeries occurred. Unfortunately, even
the massacres in Kirovabad and Sumgait didn't teach any lesson to
the Armenians, who continued living in the so called "international"
Baku. Just as it was during the massacres in Sumgait, all the brutal
actions in Baku were organized with the cruel exactness peculiar to
only Turkish murderers. The leaders of the people's front in Baku began
yelling out anti-Armenian slogans like "Baku without Armenians!" during
the large scale rallies in the city, after which the Azeri murderers
began attacking the apartments and houses of the Armenian residents
of Baku. Many of the Armenian families could escape the massacre
in "Shaxxx" cinema that was under military control. But the Soviet
soldiers gave no helping hand to the Armenian families urging their
help. The commandment would explain its apathy by the fact that they
had received no relevant order from above. As a result of the three day
massacres about 150 Armenians were killed according to the official
data (though we know not about the actual data on the massacre). The
Soviet Armed forces entered the city and began acting only after the
crowds of the Azeri murderers began attacking the state buildings in
an attempt to get rid of the Soviet power in Baku.
Later, Mikhail Gorbachev brought this very explanation to their
actions, stating that they ordered the Soviet Armed Forces to enter
the city, as they wanted to save the Soviet power in there. In fact,
the massacres of the Armenian residents of Baku were no important
reason for the Soviet government of the time to send Armed Forces to
the capital of Azerbaijan to save the people murdered.
In the days of the massacres of Armenians in Baku, the USSR Government
adopted a decision announcing "emergency situation in NKAR and some of
other regions." In particular, the emergency situation was announced
in Nagorno Karabakh, as well as in its neighboring Aghdam, Lachin,
Mirbashir, Kelbajar, Jibrail, Fizouli and Ghubatlu, later in Shahumian
regions. While in Baku, the emergency situation was announced only
on January 19, when, in fact, the massacres of the Armenians finished
and there was not a single Armenian resident left in the Azeri capital.
The Armenian residents of Baku were transported from Baku to
Krasnovodsk (Turkmenistan, now Turkmenbashi), where from they were
flying to Armenia. Later, when Heidar Aliev became the leader
of Nakhijevan, he pointed out the names of the organizers of
"the black January" in the interview to the American writer Thomas
Golts. According to him, "the massacres were organized by the National
Committees of Defense in Moscow and Baku, as well as by all of the
Azeri authorities. They all were involved in the January 12, 13 and 14
massacres of the Armenians in Baku. All of the actions were schemed
by Moscow, and the Azeri authorities, namely, Abdurahman Vezirov and
Ayaz Mutalibov, participated in their implementation."
Anyway, dwelling on the massacres of Armenians in Baku in 1990,
it's worth mentioning that not only the Turks, but we, Armenians
also were guilty in them. Our unhealthy desire to see a friend in
an enemy very frequently leads us to dangerous serenity that helps
organizing and implementing massacres of Armenians, and, moreover,
remains unpunished after that. The initiators and the murderers of
the massacres of Armenians in 1990 in Baku are unpunished till now.
Taking into account these facts, we can learn the following lesson
which says that we can establish friendly relations with our Turk
"neighbors," only if we have efficient army and the liberated
territories preserved to us.
On a related note to the above article
OUR GOOD NEIGHBOURS AND MASSACRES OF ARMENIANS IN BAKU
By Armen Manvelian
18/01/2008
AZG Armenian Daily
These days, when everybody is engaged in pre-electoral processes,
very few people will remember the event that took place in the January
of 1990 in Baku. I believe, today it's especially important to write
about the massacres of Armenians in the Soviet Azerbaijan, as due to
the short memory peculiar for the Armenians we start talking about
our so-called "good neighbor" and discuss the possibility of peaceful
co-existence. This topic becomes especially urgent within the context
of the political speeches of some presidential candidates that discuss
the possibility of peaceful co-existence with the Turks and are sure
that we need to make only a couple of territorial concessions to
achieve that peace. Due to the shortage of our memory and to the fact
that we can never learn lessons from our history, our people faced
massacres for several times in the course of their history. In the
very Baku, only in the XX century, Armenians were massacred for three
times, but still, many of the Armenian public figures feel happy,
when visiting Baku or holding days of Azerbaijan in Yerevan.
Anyway, it's worth reminding that for the first time massacres of
Armenians in Baku took place in the February of 1905. The tsar's
secret police armed the gangs of Tatars (this way Azeries were called
before 1918) and ordered them to attack the Armenian districts of
Baku. According to some data, as a result of the clashes, 300 people
were killed, 200 Armenians and 100 Tatars. More brutal massacres took
place in 1918, when Baku was under the control of the Turkish power,
actually. The Azeri Tatars were initially armed by the order of Turkish
Nury Pasha, then by the order of the British military commandment in
the region.
Notwithstanding this sad and notorious history of Baku, many Armenians
used to live in this city already in the times of the Soviet power. It
was quite obvious that the Armenians would become the target for the
Caucasusian Tatars who later become Azeries, as soon as the first
clash between Armenians and Azeries occurred. Unfortunately, even
the massacres in Kirovabad and Sumgait didn't teach any lesson to
the Armenians, who continued living in the so called "international"
Baku. Just as it was during the massacres in Sumgait, all the brutal
actions in Baku were organized with the cruel exactness peculiar to
only Turkish murderers. The leaders of the people's front in Baku began
yelling out anti-Armenian slogans like "Baku without Armenians!" during
the large scale rallies in the city, after which the Azeri murderers
began attacking the apartments and houses of the Armenian residents
of Baku. Many of the Armenian families could escape the massacre
in "Shaxxx" cinema that was under military control. But the Soviet
soldiers gave no helping hand to the Armenian families urging their
help. The commandment would explain its apathy by the fact that they
had received no relevant order from above. As a result of the three day
massacres about 150 Armenians were killed according to the official
data (though we know not about the actual data on the massacre). The
Soviet Armed forces entered the city and began acting only after the
crowds of the Azeri murderers began attacking the state buildings in
an attempt to get rid of the Soviet power in Baku.
Later, Mikhail Gorbachev brought this very explanation to their
actions, stating that they ordered the Soviet Armed Forces to enter
the city, as they wanted to save the Soviet power in there. In fact,
the massacres of the Armenian residents of Baku were no important
reason for the Soviet government of the time to send Armed Forces to
the capital of Azerbaijan to save the people murdered.
In the days of the massacres of Armenians in Baku, the USSR Government
adopted a decision announcing "emergency situation in NKAR and some of
other regions." In particular, the emergency situation was announced
in Nagorno Karabakh, as well as in its neighboring Aghdam, Lachin,
Mirbashir, Kelbajar, Jibrail, Fizouli and Ghubatlu, later in Shahumian
regions. While in Baku, the emergency situation was announced only
on January 19, when, in fact, the massacres of the Armenians finished
and there was not a single Armenian resident left in the Azeri capital.
The Armenian residents of Baku were transported from Baku to
Krasnovodsk (Turkmenistan, now Turkmenbashi), where from they were
flying to Armenia. Later, when Heidar Aliev became the leader
of Nakhijevan, he pointed out the names of the organizers of
"the black January" in the interview to the American writer Thomas
Golts. According to him, "the massacres were organized by the National
Committees of Defense in Moscow and Baku, as well as by all of the
Azeri authorities. They all were involved in the January 12, 13 and 14
massacres of the Armenians in Baku. All of the actions were schemed
by Moscow, and the Azeri authorities, namely, Abdurahman Vezirov and
Ayaz Mutalibov, participated in their implementation."
Anyway, dwelling on the massacres of Armenians in Baku in 1990,
it's worth mentioning that not only the Turks, but we, Armenians
also were guilty in them. Our unhealthy desire to see a friend in
an enemy very frequently leads us to dangerous serenity that helps
organizing and implementing massacres of Armenians, and, moreover,
remains unpunished after that. The initiators and the murderers of
the massacres of Armenians in 1990 in Baku are unpunished till now.
Taking into account these facts, we can learn the following lesson
which says that we can establish friendly relations with our Turk
"neighbors," only if we have efficient army and the liberated
territories preserved to us.
RA MFA: ILHAM ALIYEV DESPERATE
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.01.2008 14:12 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Judging from the volume and tone of comments
from Azerbaijan's President, there is a clear sense of desperation
in Azerbaijan. After all, on all fronts, without any exception,
Azerbaijan is either behind the international standard or going
against prevailing international trends," Armenian Foreign Ministry's
Spokesman Vladimir Karapetian said when commenting on Azeri President
ilham Aliyev's statement that positions of Armenia and Azerbaijan at
the international arena are incomparable.
"First, there is panic with regard to the international community's
increasing understanding with regard to issues of self-determination,"
Mr Karapetian said.
"Second, on economic and social issues, Azerbaijan's rankings are
problematic. In an unfortunate coincidence for him, the President's
comments about their economic strength and their statebuilding
achievements came on the heels of three different reputable indices
which demonstrate that there is reason for the panic, and that the
President's comments are simply aimed at misleading his public,"
he said adding that The Heritage Foundation Wall Street Journal's
Economic Freedom Index has Armenia at 28th, near the top, while
Azerbaijan is 107 out of 162 countries rated.
"In the Freedom House rankings of the democratic standings of states,
Armenia is considered Partly Free, while Azerbaijan remains Not Free,
as in years past. The Foreign Policy Index of Failed States, in a
study of 177 countries, Armenia places 50 places above Azerbaijan.
"There is hardly an international index, including those of Human
rights and Freedom of Speech, where Azerbaijan's ranking even
approaches Armenia's.
Furthermore, according to World Bank data, despite Azerbaijan's
enormous resources, they have barely caught up with Armenia's per
capita income.
"Finally, with all their rhetoric on military strength, experts predict
that, at this rate of growth and military buildup, Azerbaijan will
require 10-15 years to begin to challenge Armenia's armed forces.
Given all this, these baseless Azerbaijani statements simply offer
their own population false information thus diverting them from the
real challenges that they face," Mr Karapetian said.
http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg217287.html
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.01.2008 14:12 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Judging from the volume and tone of comments
from Azerbaijan's President, there is a clear sense of desperation
in Azerbaijan. After all, on all fronts, without any exception,
Azerbaijan is either behind the international standard or going
against prevailing international trends," Armenian Foreign Ministry's
Spokesman Vladimir Karapetian said when commenting on Azeri President
ilham Aliyev's statement that positions of Armenia and Azerbaijan at
the international arena are incomparable.
"First, there is panic with regard to the international community's
increasing understanding with regard to issues of self-determination,"
Mr Karapetian said.
"Second, on economic and social issues, Azerbaijan's rankings are
problematic. In an unfortunate coincidence for him, the President's
comments about their economic strength and their statebuilding
achievements came on the heels of three different reputable indices
which demonstrate that there is reason for the panic, and that the
President's comments are simply aimed at misleading his public,"
he said adding that The Heritage Foundation Wall Street Journal's
Economic Freedom Index has Armenia at 28th, near the top, while
Azerbaijan is 107 out of 162 countries rated.
"In the Freedom House rankings of the democratic standings of states,
Armenia is considered Partly Free, while Azerbaijan remains Not Free,
as in years past. The Foreign Policy Index of Failed States, in a
study of 177 countries, Armenia places 50 places above Azerbaijan.
"There is hardly an international index, including those of Human
rights and Freedom of Speech, where Azerbaijan's ranking even
approaches Armenia's.
Furthermore, according to World Bank data, despite Azerbaijan's
enormous resources, they have barely caught up with Armenia's per
capita income.
"Finally, with all their rhetoric on military strength, experts predict
that, at this rate of growth and military buildup, Azerbaijan will
require 10-15 years to begin to challenge Armenia's armed forces.
Given all this, these baseless Azerbaijani statements simply offer
their own population false information thus diverting them from the
real challenges that they face," Mr Karapetian said.
http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg217287.html
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