BAKU’S AGITATION FAKED DOCUMENT DISCLOSED

DeFacto Agency
July 7 2008
Armenia

Regular anti-Armenian campaign concerning the events in the settlement
of Khojalu becomes more frequent in Baku. At that, the official
Azerbaijani propaganda does not disdain to use any methods and means
to display the Armenian side as a party responsible for the tragedy.

The NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ press service has recently
disclosed one more agitation faked document of Baku, which, via a
forged photograph exposed in a number of the Azerbaijani websites,
tried to inject in the world public consciousness and the consciousness
of its own people another portion of poison of Armenian phobia. It
is interesting that some sites, for instance, the official site
of Azerbaijan on events in Khojalu () removed this
forged document from their site. However, in other sites including
the site of "Heydar Aliev’s Fund" (), which is very
respectable in Azerbaijan, the photograph shamelessly continues to
stand conspicuously.

According to the Azerbaijani side’s intention, the propaganda value
of this photograph obviously lies in the fact that besides a great
number of corpses of civilians in the foreground the outskirts of
a populated area is seen in the background, which, in principle,
should add verisimilitude to Baku’s version on mass killings of
Azerbaijanis in Khojalu. Meanwhile, color version of the abovementioned
photograph absolutely refutes it namely the faces of the deceased,
their garments, etc.

In fact, this photograph is directly connected with the events in
Kosovo. Namely as that the photograph along with a great number of
the others was exhibited in one Serbian, one Albanian, and in one
specialized German forum, in internet-page of reputable edition
"New York Times" etc.

The NKR MFA press service reminds that on February 25-26, 1992,
the Karabakhi side launched a military operation to release
the only airport in the republic which was under control of the
Azerbaijani-populated area (Khojalu) and to neutralize the weapon
emplacements of the enemy in Khojalu, from where since summer of
1991 the populated areas of Nagorno Karabakh have been regularly
exposed to attacks of the Azerbaijani special police squads, artillery
bombardments from "Alazan", "Crystall" and rocket facility of volley
fire "Grad". The release of the airport and neutralization of weapon
emplacements of enemy in Khojaly was of vital importance for the
NKR people.

The subunits of the NKR Defense Army granted a corridor to the peaceful
population for safe and timely leaving the battle zone and few days
before the operation the Azerbaijani side was informed of it. It
is well-known that the NKR authorities informed the Azerbaijani
side of preparation for the neutralization of the Khojalu weapon
emplacements two months prior to the operation and that was repeatedly
confirmed by the officials of Azerbaijan, in particular, that time
president Ayaz Mutalibov. However, the leadership of Azerbaijan did
not undertake anything to help the peaceful population to leave the
battle zone. Moreover, a column of peaceful population was shot near
the border of Aghdam region, which was later on confirmed by Mutalibov,
who linked the crime with the opposition’s efforts to remove him from
the office by making him responsible for everything.

The territory where subsequently many corpses were filmed is 3 km far
from Aghdam and 11 km from Khojalu. Up to the fall of Aghdam (summer
1993) this area was under permanent control of the Azerbaijani units,
which excluded the access of the Karabakh self -defense units there.

Some details of this military operation are so far shrouded in
mystery and namely using this circumstance official Baku tries to
profit from it to gain its political goals. It is noteworthy, that
all the propaganda is being carried out with pronounced anti-Armenian
insinuations and is used for forcing ethnic intolerance and hatred
towards Armenians among Azerbaijanis.

Unfortunately, the topic of "Khojaly" remains to be one of the
cornerstones of the Azerbaijni domestic and foreign information
or rather misinformation policy within the context of the Karabakh
problem in general.