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  • "Khojalu" Hasn't Got Its Legal Assessment Yet

    "KHOJALU" HASN'T GOT ITS LEGAL ASSESSMENT YET

    http://artsakhtert.com/eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=967:k hojalu-hasnt-got-its-legal-assessment-yet-&catid=5:politics&Itemid=17
    Thursday, 14 March 2013 15:02

    Chairman of the NKR NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations
    Vahram ATANESIAN is answering our questions: - Mr. Atanesian,
    I would like to draw your attention to the article of Director of the
    Moscow Institute for Political and Social Research in the Black Sea
    and Caspian Region Vladimir Zakharov, in which the author expressed
    concern about the fact that the Armenian party did not work on a
    proper level with other states to give an impartial assessment of
    the Khojalu events.

    At the same time, the Russian political scientist recalled the document
    adopted by the Czech Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee, which
    qualified the Khojalu events as genocide.

    We know that the Czech Republic is one of the states, which
    immediately responded to the extradition of Azeri murderer Ramil
    Safarov, condemning the Azerbaijani-Hungarian deal.

    - The document adopted by the Czech Parliament's Foreign
    Relations Committee, which was signed by the Committee Chairman,
    didn't contain the word "genocide". Apparently, it is the Azerbaijani
    interpretation, since the document noted that "tragic events took
    place there, leading to human deaths". The events were evaluated as
    the most massive killings of civilians during the Karabakh war. As for
    the fact that this country responded to Safarov's extradition and then
    to the events in Khojalu, this happened due to the consistent work
    of the Azerbaijani party. Let's admit the truth. It is known that
    Azerbaijan uses great efforts and amounts for presenting Khojalu
    as a military crime committed by the Armenian party. Azerbaijan
    is conducting everyday and quite successive propaganda works on the
    Khojalu issue: the initiative "Justice to Khojalu" is sponsored by the
    Heydar Aliev Foundation, the chairwoman of which is Mehriban Alieva and
    the vice-chairwoman is Aliev's daughter Leyla. The latter spends a lot
    of time abroad, introducing herself as the author of the initiative.

    Naturally, when a similar action is implemented on the presidential
    family level, the foreign diplomatic, expert, and information circles
    are more susceptible towards this person. Perhaps, truth doesn't play
    such a great role in politics as lobbying. The statement of the Czech
    Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee should be considered as a
    manifestation of this lobbying.

    - Unfortunately, we can't say the same about the Armenian
    party. What do you think of this?

    - I'd like to be frank and use non-diplomatic formulations. Our
    approach to this issue isn't regulated at all: any political, military
    or public figure says what he thinks. Recently, one of the Azerbaijani
    mass media has re-published an article by Levon Melik-Shakhnazaryan,
    in which he described Khojalu as the greatest victory of the Armenian
    weapon. Some formulations of the article profited the Azerbaijani
    party, which, referring to them, stated: look what is written about
    Khojalu by the Armenian political figure who chaired the NKR Supreme
    Soviet's Foreign Relations Standing Committee in 1992. The Azerbaijani
    party has repeatedly referred to the co-published book of Margar and
    Seda Melkonians, which is dedicated to the memory of Monte Melkonian
    and which contains regrettable mistakes. The book author is a person
    who has never been to the NKR and who didn't see what had happened
    in Khojalu. Moreover, Margar didn't meet his brother after Khojalu.

    Unfortunately, we couldn't prevent the conditions, which didn't
    correspond to the reality and which were disputable. We should also
    note that during the military activities and the following days the
    political and military authorities of Karabakh missed the control
    over any journalist visiting Khojalu. And the Azerbaijani party has
    recently published photos by St. Petersburg journalist Victoria Ivleva,
    which were alleged made on February 27, 1992, in Khojalu. The Armenian
    party didn't respond, while it could, at least, apply to the woman
    for denial. It isn't excluded that the material is fabricated.

    The Azerbaijanis usually use the photos related to the mass massacres
    in Kosovo or Zagreb (the capital of Croatia), presenting them as
    the events in Khojalu. A website on Khojalu in Armenian, Russian,
    and Azerbaijani is created in the RA, which is an abundant source
    of documents, photos, and even videos, but the propaganda activity
    cannot be generally considered satisfactory.

    - The Khojalu-related facts, testimonies of witnesses and all
    other materials need to be analyzed, which, let's admit, is almost
    out of any attention.

    - Today, we have the goal of giving a legal assessment to the
    Khojalu events. Huge legal vacuum exists here, and the corresponding
    bodies do not work properly. I know some materials that are put into
    circulation by so-called head of the executive power of Khojalu Elman
    Mamedov who is currently a member of the Azerbaijani Milli Mejlis
    and is always involved in international business. But, no one from
    the Armenian side provides any material to the countries where this
    political figure has meetings. Mamedov reported to the parliamentary
    commission, researching the Khojalu events, that together with a few
    other people, he had been fighting 8 or 9 hours against the Armenian
    soldiers, who had surrounded them, in a gulch, 2 or 3 kilometers
    from Aghdam.

    According to him, he reached Aghdam on February 26, late in the
    evening. No one says the following: if fighting 8 hours against the
    Armenian fighters, 2 or 3 kilometers from Aghdam, is a real case,
    so the shots had to be heard in Aghdam. Corresponding support had
    to be provided to them from Aghdam. So, his report is false. And
    giving testimonies to the Azerbaijani Prosecutor's Office, Elman
    Mamedov didn't note this fact. If he noted this, a criminal case had
    to be filed then. Mamedov spread around the world that he had lost 30
    relatives during the Khojalu events. The matter is that the 30 people
    didn't include his parents, wife, child, sister or brother. So, who
    were they? The Azerbaijani party says that it wasn't informed about
    the humanitarian corridor. In that case, why did they leave Khojalu
    through the Karkar watercourse, instead of the Khojalu-Askeran highway,
    which was open? Especially that Khojalu wasn't fired from Askeran. Or,
    who took the people to the forests? There are numerous questions. Let's
    recall another information, which was recorded by the Azerbaijani
    National Security Ministry. On February 16, two citizens of Khojalu,
    Orujev and Musaev, reached Aghdam from Khojalu. On February 18,
    the group returned, and 3 people joined it. The group brought 3000
    bullets to Khojalu from Aghdam. On February 11, the Ministry of
    National Security submitted a document to the Azerbaijani Security
    Council, which clearly stated that there were two ways for Khojalu
    population's evacuation - the gas line to Kyatuk and the Garagaya
    site near Shelli, where they would be met by the forces, which would
    come from Aghdam. The largest mass murder site was Garagaya. If
    the massacres were committed by the Armenian party, so the way
    for evacuation was provided to the Armenian self-defense forces by
    the Azerbaijani National Security Ministry. Do you imagine such a
    thing? And was the Armenian party really able to bring a punitive
    detachment to Shelly, which is in half a kilometer from Aghdam? So,
    we can bring thousands contradictions of the kind, which is given
    in the propaganda materials of the Azerbaijani party. And to this
    end, expertise works are needed. I'm talking about open sources
    of information, but there are also close sources, which we do not
    possess. And we should submit corresponding requirements to the
    parliaments, which make similar statements. Finally, 181human bodies
    were subjected to forensic medical examination in Aghdam, while the
    Azerbaijani party stated over 600 victims.

    - Doesn't the position of some US states regarding the Khojalu
    events give reason for thinking? And if even our foreign friends are
    expressing their concern, it means that the Armenian party has much
    to do.

    - I think there is a problem of psychological ban, which is felt
    even in places. If an attempt is made to take a step in line with the
    international situation or to express any point of view, it does not
    receive corresponding understanding. Today, the Azerbaijani party is
    using the Jewish lobbying in a very gentle way. For example, it made
    the Ghuba events a subject of discussions. The Stepan Shahumyan-led
    troops of the communist regime realized a pursuit there, leading to
    civilian casualties, and this was presented as an organized pogrom
    against the highland Jews by Armenians. We know that the Jews are
    very sensitive towards the events related to them. And we cannot
    make a statement to join those who remember all the victims of any
    Genocide in order that one can say tomorrow that paying tribute to the
    memory of the Sumgait victims, the NKR remembers also about those of
    the Holocaust. We should work with the Jews, as the abilities of the
    Jewish lobbying are known all over the world. Let's refer to Khojalu:
    recently, the Azerbaijanis have placed a petition, signed by 100 000
    people, at the official site of the White House. According to the
    USA Constitution, if such a number of people apply to the American
    Government, the latter must respond to it. And the Azerbaijanis
    placed the issue of the "Khojalu Genocide". Though they got a very
    tough answer, but it is today's picture. What it will be tomorrow? We
    should also remember that the Azeris are greatly supported by Turkey
    using all the channels. And what can we say about the fact that 7
    states of the USA have issued different statements on the Khojalu
    events? And if the Czech Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee
    has issued a statement, we shouldn't start working with this state
    after this. We should conduct coordinated work with all the states,
    putting a package of documents into circulation. All the states have
    their websites, at which we should place our materials; to this end,
    we should unite the efforts of the diplomacy, the Armenian Diaspora's
    structures, and the NKR Permanent Representations.

    - The Khojalu issue seems to get greater publicity with
    years. What is it conditioned by?

    - The Azerbaijani party has made the issue especially acute
    for the recent years. The version I'm going to put forward may seem
    too bold, but I'm convinced of this. An attempt is made to insure
    the Azerbaijani authorities from further discoveries. Our goal is to
    achieve the legal assessment; if needed, the parties should create
    a corresponding commission, which will disclose the documents of the
    Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. In particular, military activities on
    attacking Askeran and lifting the blockade of Khojalu were planned
    for February 25, 2:30 pm. But, no commander appeared at the Aghdam
    conscript station this time. Why didn't the military activities take
    place? Artillery commander of the Aghdam troops Colonel Nechiporenko
    stated to the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's investigator that he had
    realized the command of F. Hajiev, launching 2 full charges of Â"GradÂ"
    device, i.e. 80 missiles in the direction of Khojalu to destroy the
    airport. And, according to them, the greatest panic occurred after the
    airport-adjacent houses were burnt. Putting similar facts together,
    we can firmly imagine the events. The truth is that everybody in
    Azerbaijan was waiting for Mutalibov's resignation. For assessing
    the then political situation in Azerbaijan, it is enough to recall
    the ultimatum of the Popular Front addressed to Ayaz Mutalibov and
    published on February 18, 1992 in Azadlygh newspaper. Â"...If you
    don't resign voluntarily, so the Popular Front of Azerbaijan will
    not be able to escape bloodshedÂ".

    Õ~YRuzan ISHKHANIAN

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