ARMENIA DOESN’T INHABIT LIBERATED REGIONS, MOREOVER, IT COMPROMISES
IDEA OF INHABITING

Azg/arm
18 Jan 05

David Babayan, political analyst, thinks that inhabiting a number of
regions of strategic importance, situated in the security area of
strategic importance is the issue of Nagorno Karabakh’s and Armenia’s
existence and further safe development. “Qashatagh (Lachin) and
Qarvatchar (Qelbajar) regions are of great importance in the
abovementioned context. The first is the circle connecting Armenia and
Nagorno Karabakh, while the second is the water resources=80=99 donor
of the two Armenian states,” he said.

The OSCE mission will carry out a monitoring in the territories under
the control of Karabakh forces by the end of January, to find out
whether Armenia conducts a policy of utilizing and inhabiting in these
regions. Daily Azg decided to spend a couple of days in Qarvatchar and
Qashatagh regions of security zone where the European observers are
expected to arrive.

The statements of official Yerevan and Stepanakert, saying that no
state policy of inhabiting the regions of security zone is conducted,
unfortunately, correspond to the reality. We don’t want to represent
any data, butwe should draw attention to the following reality: the 25
percent of the population left Qashatagh region in the course of the
last few years. In fact, official Yerevan doesn’t inhabit or utilize
the security zone, moreover, it compromises the idea of inhabiting by
its actions.

Can we call the phenomenon that some of the Armenian families who fled
from Baku, Sumgait and North Artsakh and are homeless and doomed to
hunger have to begin a new life in Qarvatchar and Qashatagh an act of
inhabiting? Yes, in some cases, the state can allocate them a credit
for purchasing a cow. But, failing to live in the new conditions, the
father of the family has to slaughter the cow or cell it or move to
Armenia again.

The very Baku is conducting a state policy of inhabiting, while
Yerevan and Stepanakert have many things to learn from the Azeris. In
2001, Heydar Aliyev allocated $18 million and inhabited Shahumian and
Upper Shen with 1400 families in quite a short period. Heydar Aliyev,
personally, participated in the official ceremony of inhabiting 1000
Azeri families in these two Armenian villages. Afterwards, these
villages were called Ashaghe Aghjakend and Yukhare Aghjakend.

Armen Aghayan, political secretary of the “Defense of Liberated
Territories” pubic initiative, believes that the liberated territories
should have been inhabited on the very first day of liberation and one
should have began doing that from the front of Nagorno Karabakh,
instead of Lachin corridor. “Unfortunately the statements saying that
Armenia doesn’t conduct state policy of inhabiting are true. Armenia
almost did nothing to contribute to inhabitingthe territories,”
Aghayan said.

Gegham Baghdasarian, editor-in-chief of Stepanakert based Demo
newspaper, believes that the state should do everything to secure all
the conditions for the life of its citizens. “It seems that everybody
forgot that we, the Armenians, have numerous refugees who face
numerous problems. I am for inhabiting the liberated territories from
this very viewpoint and not for the formula of=80=98 inhabiting for
the sake of inhabitation’,” Baghdasarian said.

On the other hand, Baghdasarian believes that the issue concerns the
negotiation process of Nagorno Karabakh settlement. “One should master
all the details of the negotiation process to give a definite answer
to the issue whether the liberated territories should be inhabited or
not,” he said.

Miasnik Malkhasian, deputy-chairman of the Union of Volunteer
Land-Keepers, stated that these territories were liberated to secure
the safety of Karabakh. He thinks that as the negotiation process
between Armenia and Azerbaijan is still on, one can speak of it, when
the details of the negotiations are known. “Anyway, Lachin and Shushi
can’t be an object for discussion. As for the other territories, the
sides should negotiate for them. Otherwise, it won=80=99t be clear
what the sides are negotiating about,” he said.

Maxim Mirzoyan, member of the Armenian Revolutionary Party of
Dashnaktsutyun of Nagorno Karabakh, reminds that the Armenians lost
180 thousand homes in Azerbaijan. He says that the liberated
territories should be inhabited by those Armenians who lost their
homes still in Soviet Azerbaijan and their number is 400
thousand. “Every compromise during the talks should be put on the
scales of safety”, Mirzoyan said.

Murad Petrosian, editor-in-chief of Inch Anel? Russian-language
newspaper, says that it would be better to conquer Masis (Ararat) back
but asks if we are able to do that. “The inhabitation of Lachin and
Qelbajar is considered legal. Vazgen Sargsian and Samvel Babayan
better understood our strength, and they thought that the 2 regions
should be populated”, Petrosian said adding thatthe world community
will stand against Armenia if the latter refuses to return some
territories.

Davit Babayan notes that the greatest rivers of Karabakh, Tartar and
Khachen, start in Qarvatchar. The reservoir of Sarsang is on the
Tartar river. Two other rivers, Arpa and Vorotan, that play an
important role in providing Armenia with water and in keeping the lake
of Sevan alive, also originate in Qarvatchar.

“All these aspects need to be considered in the settlement process. In
this context, it is absolutely inadmissible to change today’s status
of Qashatagh and especially Qarvatchar. Otherwise, Nagorno Karabakh
and Armenia will become vulnerable for hydroterrorism”, Babayan said.

By Tatoul Hakobian in Qarvatchar-Qashatagh-Stepanakert