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HOW LEVON TER-PETROSSIAN ENVISIONED INDEPENDENCE IN 1991: LEAKED CABLE
epress.am
09.21.2011 21:39
In May 1991, then Armenian Supreme Soviet Chair Levon Ter-Petrossian
outlined to US Embassy officials his vision of the path to Armenia's
independence. First, he said, Armenia planned to follow the USSR
Supreme Soviet law on secession. This was stated in a recently leaked
US diplomatic cable written by then US Deputy Chief of Mission to
the USSR James F. Collins.
Ter-Petrossian told US officials that six months ago, Moldavian
President Mircha Snegur introduced a plan for cooperation among the
six republics which had no intention of signing the union treaty.
These include the three Baltic republics, Georgia, Moldova, and
Armenia.
"At that time these republics had a strong sense that the center
would implement punitive measures to keep them in the union. Armenian
Supreme Soviet foreign affairs committee member Hovanes Igityan
had just returned from a trip to Moldova and was preparing to leave
for the Baltics the next day to continue these discussions. Igityan
is the working-level Armenian representative in the formulation of
countermeasures to any kind of economic pressure the nine may try to
inflict on these six republics.
"Igityan indicated that these discussions had become more frequent
since the Apr. 23 signing of the nine-plus-one declaration. He added
that the leaders of the six republics had not yet met because they
have been busy with their own problems in their respective republics.
"Ter-Petrossian maintained that any kind of economic sanctions against
the six republics would be very difficult to carry out because of
the nature of the Soviet economic system. He asserted that the close
economic integration of the republics would make it very hard for
the center or the nine republics to take action without suffering
retaliation. Thus, he concluded that such economic pressure would
backfire on the center," writes Collins.
In a section titled "A Legal Path to Independence," the US diplomat
notes that Ter-Petrossian informed embassy officials on his plan for
Armenia's secession from the Soviet Union:
"This process will begin with the Sept. 21 republic referendum on
independence. Soon after, Armenian officials plan to hold republic
elections. After the elections, the new Republic Supreme Soviet will
draft a new constitution. Finally, the Republic will complete the
final stages for complete independence from the Soviet Union.
Ter-Petrossian and Armenian Supreme Soviet foreign relations commission
chairman Vardaniyan could not give a specific time frame and indicated
that the process could take a long time. Ter-Petrossian maintained
that Armenia's choice to follow the legal route to independence
had upset the center and therefore the center exacerbated the
Armenian-Azerbaijani dispute."
Collins also mentions meetings with Armenian Communist Party and
government officials, who said that Armenian Communist Party chief
Stefan Pogosyan resigned on May 13 because "he refused to collude
with the center against the Armenians." However, local government
official Serzhik Dovladbegyan told them Pogosyan resigned because
he had been asked to form a national salvation committee in Armenia
to work against the Armenian independence movement. Kamu Kocharyan,
another local official, said Pogosyan resigned because "he did not
want to betray his people." Other officials told us the last straw
for Pogosyan was when he asked Gorbachev for a meeting to discuss
the deportation of Getashen and Martunashen and was refused.
"Dzhema Ananyan, formerly a very active Armenian Communist Party
activist and member of the USSR CPSU Control Commission, embodied the
bitterness local communists feel toward the CPSU and the center... When
[embassy officials] met Ananyan on May 15 in her office in the
Armenian border city of Idjevan, she exuded bitterness and disgust
toward the center and the CPSU. She accused the center of conducting
'a campaign of state terror against the Armenians.' She added,
'I have been a loyal and dedicated Communist Party official for 40
years and this is how they treat us.' She showed [embassy officials]
a copy of her published statement in which she resigned from the CPSU
Control Commission and aired her disgust with the center's support of
Azerbaijan and the shelling of villages along the Armenian-Azerbaijani
border. She also reflected that 'it is strange that they would give
the Nobel Peace Prize to a man who would conduct this kind of terror
campaign'," referring to Gorbachev.
The cable ends with the US Deputy Chief of Mission returning to
his discussion with Ter-Petrossian, who said Armenian officials
are engaged in negotiations with the Soviet Army over the status
of Armenia's draftees and where they will serve. According to the
draft agreement with the Soviet Army, Armenia would conclude its own
agreements with other republics about where soldiers would serve.
"Ter-Petrossian said they were in the process of concluding such an
agreement with Lithuania, for example. The Armenian leader said the
plan has the blessing of USSR Defense Minister Yazov and one of his
deputies, who has just been in Armenia to finalize the agreement.
"Ter-Petrossian said that Armenia was particularly anxious to settle
this issue, particularly given their historical experience with
Russian troops. He said that in 1918 and 1942, Russian soldiers had
abandoned Armenia to the enemy and had not defended the republic
against hostile forces. 'With our own part of the army staffed by
Armenians, this would not happen,' he said," wrote Collins.
epress.am
09.21.2011 21:39
In May 1991, then Armenian Supreme Soviet Chair Levon Ter-Petrossian
outlined to US Embassy officials his vision of the path to Armenia's
independence. First, he said, Armenia planned to follow the USSR
Supreme Soviet law on secession. This was stated in a recently leaked
US diplomatic cable written by then US Deputy Chief of Mission to
the USSR James F. Collins.
Ter-Petrossian told US officials that six months ago, Moldavian
President Mircha Snegur introduced a plan for cooperation among the
six republics which had no intention of signing the union treaty.
These include the three Baltic republics, Georgia, Moldova, and
Armenia.
"At that time these republics had a strong sense that the center
would implement punitive measures to keep them in the union. Armenian
Supreme Soviet foreign affairs committee member Hovanes Igityan
had just returned from a trip to Moldova and was preparing to leave
for the Baltics the next day to continue these discussions. Igityan
is the working-level Armenian representative in the formulation of
countermeasures to any kind of economic pressure the nine may try to
inflict on these six republics.
"Igityan indicated that these discussions had become more frequent
since the Apr. 23 signing of the nine-plus-one declaration. He added
that the leaders of the six republics had not yet met because they
have been busy with their own problems in their respective republics.
"Ter-Petrossian maintained that any kind of economic sanctions against
the six republics would be very difficult to carry out because of
the nature of the Soviet economic system. He asserted that the close
economic integration of the republics would make it very hard for
the center or the nine republics to take action without suffering
retaliation. Thus, he concluded that such economic pressure would
backfire on the center," writes Collins.
In a section titled "A Legal Path to Independence," the US diplomat
notes that Ter-Petrossian informed embassy officials on his plan for
Armenia's secession from the Soviet Union:
"This process will begin with the Sept. 21 republic referendum on
independence. Soon after, Armenian officials plan to hold republic
elections. After the elections, the new Republic Supreme Soviet will
draft a new constitution. Finally, the Republic will complete the
final stages for complete independence from the Soviet Union.
Ter-Petrossian and Armenian Supreme Soviet foreign relations commission
chairman Vardaniyan could not give a specific time frame and indicated
that the process could take a long time. Ter-Petrossian maintained
that Armenia's choice to follow the legal route to independence
had upset the center and therefore the center exacerbated the
Armenian-Azerbaijani dispute."
Collins also mentions meetings with Armenian Communist Party and
government officials, who said that Armenian Communist Party chief
Stefan Pogosyan resigned on May 13 because "he refused to collude
with the center against the Armenians." However, local government
official Serzhik Dovladbegyan told them Pogosyan resigned because
he had been asked to form a national salvation committee in Armenia
to work against the Armenian independence movement. Kamu Kocharyan,
another local official, said Pogosyan resigned because "he did not
want to betray his people." Other officials told us the last straw
for Pogosyan was when he asked Gorbachev for a meeting to discuss
the deportation of Getashen and Martunashen and was refused.
"Dzhema Ananyan, formerly a very active Armenian Communist Party
activist and member of the USSR CPSU Control Commission, embodied the
bitterness local communists feel toward the CPSU and the center... When
[embassy officials] met Ananyan on May 15 in her office in the
Armenian border city of Idjevan, she exuded bitterness and disgust
toward the center and the CPSU. She accused the center of conducting
'a campaign of state terror against the Armenians.' She added,
'I have been a loyal and dedicated Communist Party official for 40
years and this is how they treat us.' She showed [embassy officials]
a copy of her published statement in which she resigned from the CPSU
Control Commission and aired her disgust with the center's support of
Azerbaijan and the shelling of villages along the Armenian-Azerbaijani
border. She also reflected that 'it is strange that they would give
the Nobel Peace Prize to a man who would conduct this kind of terror
campaign'," referring to Gorbachev.
The cable ends with the US Deputy Chief of Mission returning to
his discussion with Ter-Petrossian, who said Armenian officials
are engaged in negotiations with the Soviet Army over the status
of Armenia's draftees and where they will serve. According to the
draft agreement with the Soviet Army, Armenia would conclude its own
agreements with other republics about where soldiers would serve.
"Ter-Petrossian said they were in the process of concluding such an
agreement with Lithuania, for example. The Armenian leader said the
plan has the blessing of USSR Defense Minister Yazov and one of his
deputies, who has just been in Armenia to finalize the agreement.
"Ter-Petrossian said that Armenia was particularly anxious to settle
this issue, particularly given their historical experience with
Russian troops. He said that in 1918 and 1942, Russian soldiers had
abandoned Armenia to the enemy and had not defended the republic
against hostile forces. 'With our own part of the army staffed by
Armenians, this would not happen,' he said," wrote Collins.