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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 "Shafag" 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.
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 "Shafag" 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.