IS AZERBAIJAN TRYING TO PRESENT KARABAKH AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION?

Karabakh Open
Oct 3 2007

"Azerbaijan is trying to present Karabakh as a terrorist organization,
even though after the declaration of independence our country has
been following the track for state building and creation of its
own system of defense," said Member of Parliament Vahram Atanesyan,
chair of the Committee of External Relations, in a news conference
on October 2. "In addition, Azerbaijan is likely to destroy Karabakh
as a hotbed of terrorism," he said.

He said waging a war against Karabakh will mean recognition of NKR,
and "in order to avoid this legal trap, Azerbaijan decided to use
the term "antiterrorist effort"."

"Azerbaijan’s intention, which was voiced by the minister of defense
and endorsed by the political parties, is part of the Azerbaijani
military doctrine which has been drafted and proposed to the
parliament. Azerbaijan will adopt the doctrine which involves an
aggressive approach against NKR and Armenia," the member of parliament
said. Vahram Atanesyan thinks Karabakh should draw the attention of
the international community to this aggressive military doctrine and
emphasize that this political document bears hostility toward NKR
aspiring for independence.

"Certainly, it is not an innovation for the Azerbaijani policies.

However, it should be noted that by imitating negotiations mediated
by the OSCE Minsk Group, Azerbaijan is all the time pursuing the
goal of solving the problem of Karabakh through military ways,"
Vahram Atanesyan said.

"Baku is trying to make the international community believe that
there are terrorist organizations in NKR which impede the peace
settlement of the Karabakh conflict. However, the international
community should make sure that there have never been terrorists in
NKR, and the security of NKR is guaranteed by the Defense Army, which
is under the political control of the elective government. Moreover,
during the Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict Baku resorted to international
terrorists and mercenaries, which is condemned by the international
community," Vahram Atanesyan said.

The member of parliament listed the names of POWs captured
by the Karabakh side: Atillah Gumac (Turkey), Gennady Kutikov,
Yuri Velichenko, Alexey Suslo, Bakhtiar Baberdjani (Afghanistan),
and others.

"Considering that the mercenaries usually do not surrender, we may
judge about the number of mercenaries in the Azerbaijani army.

According to the Afghan POW, about 2500 Afghan mojahedeen served in
the Azerbaijani army, each got 5000 dollars a month. In addition, the
Afghans also supplied narcotics to Azerbaijani soldiers. According to
the NKR government agencies, Rovshan Djavadov, the minister of internal
affairs of Azerbaijan there, hired mercenaries, who also plotted the
attempt against President Aliyev. As to Chechen insurgents fighting
against Karabakh, even the Azerbaijani media wrote about them,"
the member of parliament said.

The war cannot start tomorrow but we should mind that the targets
are clearly outlined in the Azerbaijani military doctrine, and "at
the same time an anti-terrorist propaganda has been launched." The
member of parliament said Karabakh must work out its doctrine of
national security.