Aysor, Armenia
May 8 2010

Liberation of Shushi: the 18th anniversary of victory

The 8th and 9th of May on 1992 became a turning point in the
liberation war of Artsakh. On May 8th the liberation actions of Shushi
were decided. It was headed by Arkadi Ter Tadevosyan, Kamandos.

The liberation of Shushi was a turning point for the Karabakh war. It
was exactly from here that the Azerbaijani were hitting Stepanakert
and the surrounding villages.

Regardless the overwhelming forces of the rival due to the Armenian
heroic braveness and brilliant fighting efficiency on May 9 Shushi was
finally liberated, which allowed us to return our fatherland and to
keep moving forward.

On May 18 the Armenian subdivisions reached the border of the Armenian
Republic.

The name `Shushi’ is derived from the word `shosh’ which in Artsakh
dialect means the newly grown branch of the tree which is higher than
the others. This namr Shushi has received because of its
geographically high position.

The Nagorno-Karabakh (armed) conflict broke out back in 1991, when,
subsequent to the demand for self-determination of the
Nagorno-Karabakh people, Azerbaijani authorities attempted to resolve
the issue through ethnic cleansings, carried out by Soviet security
forces (KGB special units) under the pretext of the implementation of
the passport regime and by launching of large-scale military
operations, which left thousands dead and caused considerable material
damage. A cease-fire agreement was established in 1994. Negotiations
on the settlement of the conflict are being conducted under the
mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen (Russia, USA, France)
and on the basis of their Madrid proposals, presented in November,
2007.

Azerbaijan has not yet implemented the 4 resolutions of the UN
Security Council adopted in 1993, by continuing to provoke arms race
in the region and openly violating on of the basic principles of the
international law non-use of force or threat of force.