SUMGAIT WAITS FOR A POLITICAL ASSESSMENT

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
04March 05

In the Azerbaijani town of Sumgait referred to as `international’ at
the beginning of the 20th century a new genocide of Armenians was
committed, instigated by the government of the republic and with the
tacit consent of Moscow. By the crime against the Armenian population
of Sumgait organized at the governmental level on February 26-29, 1988
Azerbaijan actually declared waragainst the Armenians transforming the
peaceful process of settlement of the issue of Nagorni Karabakh into
an armed ethnic conflict. Every year on February 28 in all those parts
of the world where Armenians live, people go on demonstrations address
international organizations claiming a political evaluation of the
Sumgait genocide. On February 28 in Stepanakert people walked to the
Memorial with slogans condemning Sumgait. NKR president Arkady
Ghukassian, NA speaker Oleg Yessayan, prime minister Anoushavan
Danielian, the archbishop of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian
Apostolic Church Parghev Martirossian, members of parliament and
government, the city hall of Stepanakert and different organizations
paid homage to the innocent victims of the genocide and laid wreaths
at the memorial statue. Archbishop Parghev conducted a commemoration
service.

ARKADY GHUKASSIAN, president of NKR: `Sumgait is one of the most
tragic events in our history. After Sumgait everybody understood that
it would be difficult to solve the problems existing between
Azerbaijan and us in a peaceful way. This proved once again that the
Armenians cannot live in Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani state is a
threat for the Armenian nation. Sumgait was the beginning; then Baku,
Kirovabad, Maragha followed â’ Life showed that our choice wasright,
that the Soviet country was collapsing, and that there was no place
for the Armenians in independent Azerbaijan. We were to build a
history and defend our fatherland, and we did itâ’I am sure that after
Sumgait all the variants suggested by Azerbaijan are unreal, absurd
for Sumgait is the vivid example of the fact that it was not an
incident but a state policy. Azerbaijan opposes to Sumgait the events
of Khojalu, exaggerating and placing it against a political
background. The Armenian party seems not to take necessary steps in
this directionâ’ I am sorry that a country where Sumgait took place
speaks about Khojalu. Everybody knows the events of Khojalu. The
victims of Khojalu were near Aghdam. The world knows that we provided
corridor to Azerbaijanis. The interviews of Mutalibov open the
brackets. Everybody knows it was an act of provocation directed
against the authorities of Azerbaijan where a political struggle was
going on. The Popular Front was trying to discredit the present
government of Azerbaijan, oust them using the events in Khojalu. In my
opinion, the noise made by the present authorities of Azerbaijan does
not favour the settlement of the problem of Nagorni Karabakh, as well
as the creation of an atmosphere of mutual confidence without which
the settlement of the Nagorni Karabakh issue is impossible.’

LAURA GRIGORIAN.
04-03-2005