NAGORNO KARABAKH AND AZERBAIJAN CELEBRATING THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE
Tatul Hakobyan
"Radiolur"
31.08.2006 13:52
On September 2 Nagorno Karabakh will celebrate the 15th anniversary
of declaration of independence. Although the international community
does not intend to recognize the second Armenian state de jure,
i.e. legally. De facto it has been already recognized. Even in case
Nagorno Karabakh is not recognized in the coming 15 years, this will
not devalue the historical decision adopted September 2, 1991.
August 19-21 the attempt to dethrone the President of the Soviet
Union Mikhail Gorbacjev failed. It seems that the above-mentioned
circumstance is not immediacy linked to the remote regions of the
empire in decline, particularly to Azerbaijan, the part of which
Nagorno Karabakh comprised then.
August 19 Azerbaijani leader of that time Ayaz Mutalibov was on a
visit to Iran. Learning about the coup in Moscow, Mutalibov expressed
his conformity to the rebels. His Adviser Vafa Guluzadeh retrieves
that he was advising Mutalibov to refuse from comments on the Moscow
events before his return to Baku.
The Azerbaijani leader, however, did not follow the advice and did
not refuse from criticizing Gorbachev’s policy.
A few days later, however, the attempt of the coup in Moscow failed and
the rebels were arrested. The failed rebellion, however, accelerated
the unevitable collapse of the Soviet Union.
August 30 in a special session the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan
adopted the declaration of independence within the borders of the
1918-1920 Democratic or Musavat Republic of Azerbaijan. September
2 the Regional Council of Nagorno Karabakh and the District Council
of Shahumyan held a joint sitting in Stepanakert, during which the
declaration of independence within the borders of Nagorno Karabakh
and Shahumyan regions.
September 8 Mutalibov was elected the President of Azerbaijan. Only 12
percent of the voters in Nagorno Karabakh, i.e. only the Azerbaijanis,
participated in the elections.
>>From the legal perspective Azerbaijan seceded from the Soviet
Union on the same basis that Nagorno-Karabakh seceded from
Azerbaijan. Besides, on August 30 the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan
adopted the Declaration of Independence within the borders of
1918-1920 Musavat Republic of Azerbaijan. Therefore, today’s Azerbaijan
considers itself the successor of the Musavat Republic. And it deserves
attention that in 1918-1920 Nagorno Karabakh did not comprise part of
Azerbaijan. Moreover, the League of Nations never recognized Azerbaijan
de jure, considering the fact that the Musavats were laying claims
on disputable Armenian territories, particularly Karabakh.
Nevertheless, if the League of Nations refused to recognize Nagorno
Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, then the Soviet or Bolshevik Russia
divided not only Karabakh but also other Armenian territories between
Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Actually, with the establishment of the Soviet Union we lost not only
our statehood, but also what is the most important – the original
Armenian lands.
On September 2, 1991 one of the segments separated from the Armenian
people the Artsakhi Armenians – corrected one of the crimes of
Bolshevik Russia and Ottoman Turkey.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress