|
   |
|||||||||||||||||
|
ARTSAKH NEWSLETTER Vol. 5, no. 3 April-May, 2003 The ARTSAKH NEWSLETTER is a publication of the NKR
Office in Washington, 1.
LIBERATION OF SHUSHI, VICTORY DAY MARKED IN NKR
May 9 marked a triple holiday in Nagorno Karabakh - the victory of the Allies in WWII, the 11th anniversary of the Liberation of Shushi and the 11th anniversary of the creation of the NKR Defense Army. The festivities began with a Holy Liturgy and blessing of the NKR Defense Army at the St. Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi. Karabakh's top civilian and military leaders as well as WWII and Artsakh War veterans celebrated Victory Day at the Stepanakert Officers' Club. "It is very symbolic that the liberation of Shushi coincided with the victory over fascism. This is a testimony of the continuity of our proud and freedom-loving people's good traditions. Shushi proved to the world that we are able to solve difficult problems. And first of all, we realized, that we are the masters of our own destiny and that we are the ones to shape our own future," said President Arkady Ghoukasian in his address. Military parades took place in several cities, including Shushi. The top leadership of the Nagorno Karabakh government were joined by an official Armenian delegation, headed by Armenian President Robert Kocharian, as they laid flowers at the tomb of Artsakh War Hero Ashot Ghoulian and WWII Marshall Hovhannes Baghramian in Stepanakert. The procession then drove to Shushi, where Armenian and Karabakh officials laid flowers at the monument to WWII Hero Nelson Stepanian and Artsakh Hero Vazgen Sargsian. Armenian President Robert Kocharian issued a statement congratulating citizens of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh on the occasion. Calling Shushi's liberation from Azerbaijani armed forces "a symbol of freedom" for Nagorno Karabakh, he said that the victory in WWII was a great victory for the Armenian people. "Hundreds of thousands of Armenian men heroically fought in the Red Army, bringing the Victory Day closer." he said. NKR President Arkady Ghoukasian awarded Caroline Cox,
the Vice Speaker of the British House of Lords and a staunch supporter
of Nagorno Karabakh's struggle for freedom, with the Order of St. Gregory
the Illuminator. "I was in Stepanakert during those horrible days,
when Stepanakert was under artillery fire from Shushi. I witnessed how
your people suffered. But as the time went, I saw a lot to be happy
about. I am fighting for justice and I will do my best to achieve international
recognition of your victory," said Baroness Cox. 2. PEOPLE OF NAGORNO KARABAKH COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE On April 24, the people of Nagorno Karabakh commemorated
the anniversary of the horrific crime against the Armenian people committed
by Ottoman Turkey, the Armenian Genocide. President Arkady Ghoukasian,
members of parliament, government ministers and the commanding staff
of the armed forces joined hundreds of Karabakh citizens who flocked
to the Memorial Complex to pay tribute to the memory of one and a half
million innocent Genocide victims. In his speech, Ghoukasian said that
the massacre of Armenians in the Azerbaijani town of Sumgait was a continuation
of the legacy of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey. "Analyzing
history, we have to realize, that our destiny is in our own hands. We
have to build a state, that would allow its citizens to live peacefully
and prosperously," he said. The clergy of the Artsakh Diocese of
the Armenian Church held a liturgy for the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
3. ARF DELEGATION VISITS NAGORNO KARABAKH, MEETS PRESIDENT GHOUKASIAN Members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)
visited Nagorno Karabakh to participate in the celebration of the 11th
anniversary of Shushi's liberation. President Arkady Ghoukasian met
with the delegation, led by the Central Bureau's Political Department
Head Giro Manoyan on May 8th. Manoyan told Ghoukasian that the participants
of the ARF forum, recently held in Yerevan, discussed different aspects
of the Armenian Question, including a just solution of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. Ghoukasian described the current social-economic situation
in the country saying that the country is still struggling to overcome
the consequences of Azerbaijani aggression. Stressing that the Republic
is excluded from international financial institutions' funding, Ghoukasian
said that the assistance of the Armenian Diaspora is paramount in reconstructing
damaged homes, roads and the irrigation infrastructure. 4. CEASE FIRE VIOLATION RECORDED ON THE LINE OF CONTACT Azerbaijani armed forces attempted unsuccessfully to move closer to the territory controlled by the NKR Defense Army on April 8, NKR Defense Ministry reported. Facing resistance, the enemy armed formations had to retreat to their previously held positions. NKR Defense Army did not sustain any casualties during the incident. The Defense Ministry reports that beginning in 2000, Azerbaijani armed forces regularly attempted to change the Line of Contact in order to come closer to NKR Defense Army positions. The OSCE monitoring missions routinely recorded these and other aggressive actions on Azerbaijan's part. Foreign Minister Ashot Ghoulian and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk discussed the incident and the overall situation on the Line of Contact on April 30 and May 26. Both sides stressed the importance of strict adherence to the cease-fire regime and regular monitoring of the Line of Contact by OSCE representatives. Kasprzyk also met with Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Seyran Ohanian. OSCE representatives carried out two monitoring missions to the Line of Contact in May. On May 13th monitoring took place in the southeastern portion of the frontline. After the monitoring, the OSCE representatives visited a military hospital, where they met with NKR Defense Army soldiers, who were wounded during recent sniper-fire from the Azerbaijani positions. The second monitoring took place on May 27 near Aghdam. During the monitoring, the NKR Defense Army representative reported about several cease-fire violations by the Azerbaijani side to the OSCE officials. No incidents were reported during the sessions. Representatives of the NKR Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs accompanied the OSCE representatives. In a related development, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia
John Ordway said during a press conference on May 20 that the main goals
of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen are to achieve continuation of the
cease-fire regime and reach a lasting, final agreement among the conflicting
parties on settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. He also commented
on the postponement of the Co-Chairmen's visit to the region, citing
elections in Armenia and Azerbaijan and President Aliyev's poor health
as the main reasons for the delay. 5. CAUCASUS NGOs HOLD REGIONAL SEMINARS IN STEPANAKERT The second round of seminars for regional non-governmental organizations (NGOs) took place in Stepanakert on April 17 with participants from Azerbaijan, South Osettia and Russian regions of the North Caucasus. The "Caucasus Initiative" NGO organized the event, aimed at boosting cooperation among the Caucasus NGOs. On the same day the participants of the seminar met with Foreign Minister Ashot Ghoulian. He stressed the importance of the event for drawing international attention to the needs of the non-governmental sector in the Caucasus as well as for the formation of civil society in the region, including Nagorno Karabakh. Ghoulian said that the government is interested in strengthening of local NGOs and helps them in any way possible. The Chairman of the Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan, Eldar Zeynalov, who has visited Nagorno Karabakh on several occasions, said that he noticed a shift towards building a European-style civil society in Karabakh since his last year's visit. Meeting participants also discussed ways of enhancing cooperation among the NGOs of the region, protection of human rights and building confidence among the conflicting parties. The same group of regional NGOs' representatives participated in another event organized by the local Center of Civil Initiatives (CCI) in Stepanakert. The event was dedicated to the condition of prisoners in the region and penitentiary institution reforms. The Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross' office in Stepanakert, superintendents of Nagorno Karabakh prisons, as well as members of the media participated in the seminar. CCI Director Albert Voskanian, who also represents Nagorno Karabakh NGOs in the International Working Group on Search and Liberation of Missing Persons, Hostages and POWs of the Nagorno Karabakh Conflict, said that sanitary conditions are satisfactory in Nagorno Karabakh prisons. Zeynalov, who had an opportunity to visit some of the prisons in Nagorno Karabakh, agreed with Voskanian's conclusion. Zeynalov's comments, later broadcast on Azerbaijani TV, led to trouble in Azerbaijan - mobs, made up of members of the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party and opposition Musavat party's Organization for Liberation of Karabakh, attacked Zeynalov's office, shouting anti-Armenian slogans, dumping trash and pouring chlorine at the entrance of the building. The mob "accused" Zeynalov of having ethnic Armenian roots and demanded his deportation from Azerbaijan. Domestic political dissent as well as Azerbaijani
NGOs' participation in joint projects with their colleagues from Nagorno
Karabakh are routinely subject to state-sponsored harassment in Azerbaijan.
As recently as June 5, the Committee on Human Rights and Legal Affairs
of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) again
criticized Azerbaijani authorities for the arrest of new political prisoners
and their failure to act on their promises to implement democratic reforms
and release political prisoners. * * * The Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in
the United States is based in Washington, DC and works with the U.S.
government, academia and the public representing the official policies
and interests of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
|
