Aysor, Armenia
May 8 2010
Shushi is our town, says Vazgen Manoukian
`Liberating Shushi we responded to those, who unleashed war; and all
our victories have begun since the moment, playing an invaluable role
in our nation’s future,’ told Aysor in a telephone conversation ex
premier of Armenia, chairman of the Public Council, Vazgen Manoukian,
who is in Shushi at the moment.
He said that Shushi, liberated 18 years ago, has positive changes.
`This is our town and we ought to save it for ages,’ said Vazgen
Manoukian wishing development, new jobs and growth of population to
Shushi.
On 9 May 1992 Shushi, an Azerbaijan-held strategic town some ten
kilometers south of the Karabakh capital Stepanakert, was liberated
after a planned operation under the auspices of Colonel-General Gurgen
Daribaltayan with guidance from Commandos Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan.
All of the military factors were in favor of the Armed Forces of
Azerbaijan, who had advantage in terms of the quantity and the quality
of military equipment; they had advantage in terms of number of
troops, and, in addition, they held strategically important position
of Shushi: Shushi’s high located position made it possible to bring
down deadly fire at civilians in lower-lying Stepanakert and nearby
villages of Nagorno Karabakh.
However, 3,500 Armenian soldiers started storming Shushi in the early
hours of May 8. A day later after a strong battle against 2,500
Azerbaijani soldiers, Armenian soldiers liberated Shushi. It’s worth
mentioning that war strategists consider it impossible, or, at least,
hardly possible, to storm and win, if own forces were not outnumbered
by three time as much.
The liberation of Shushi changed the curse of the Karabakh war,
opening up opportunities for further Armenian victories.