THE ARMENIAN RESIDENTS OF SHOUSHI WERE DISPLACED 18 YEARS AGO

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[03:18 pm] 16 May, 2006

These days, tragic events took place in Shoushi 18 years ago which
played a significant role in the further escalation and increase of
the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict: on May 16-17, 1988, the leadership
of the Azerbaijani SSR via its emissaries and local Azerbaijani
authorities of the Nagorno Karabakh Shoushi region started the
deportation of the Armenian population of the town of Shoushi.

These actions which became possible due to the impunity of the Armenian
pogroms organized the same year in the town of Sumgayit pursued the
aim to extirpate the Armenian element in Nagorno Karabakh.

Absence of adequate estimate, first of all, of the USSR leadership
to these actions which, according to international-legal norms were
an act of ethnic cleanings, allowed the Azerbaijani SSR authorities
to realize pogroms and deportation of the Armenian population of
the republic in 1988-91s (Khanlar, Kutkashen, Vartashen, Shamkhor
regions, the town of Mingechaur, etc. – November-December of 1988,
Kirovabad – November 1989, Baku – January 1990, “Kolco” operation –
April-June 1991) which actually created preconditions for the following
full-scale aggression against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

The NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs focuses the attention of the
international community to the fact that the militaristic rhetoric and
charging of the atmosphere of xenophobia in the Azerbaijani society is
the continuation of the policy conducted by the Azerbaijani authorities
and calls to give a worthy evaluation to these events and recognize
the international-legal responsibility of the Azerbaijani Republic
for mass violation of the basic rights of the Armenian population of
the former Azerbaijani SSR and unleashing of aggressive war against
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, which will have immense significance
for strengthening the security and peace in the region and will allow
to approach the final solution of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict.