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ARTSAKH NEWSLETTER Vol. 5, no. 2 February-March, 2003 The ARTSAKH NEWSLETTER is a publication of the NKR
Office in Washington, 1. THE 15TH
ANNIVERSARY OF THE KARABAKH LIBERATION MOVEMENT
On February 20, people of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh (NK) and our friends around the world celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Nagorno Karabakh Liberation Movement. President Arkady Ghoukasian and other top government officials paid tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives during the 1992-1994 war, laying wreaths at the Stepanakert Memorial Complex. A conference dedicated to the anniversary took place in Artsakh State University, followed by an art exhibition. The two Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian
Issues Congressmen Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ)
publicly congratulated the people of Nagorno Karabakh on the 15th Anniversary
of the Karabakh Liberation Movement. In a letter dated February 14,
the Congressmen said in part, "February 20, 1988 marked the beginning
of [your] determined effort to shake off Azerbaijan's oppressive rule
and shape [your] own destiny. The U.S. Congressmen Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Devin Nunes (R-CA) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) submitted statements to the congressional record congratulating the people of Nagorno Karabakh Republic. In their statements the congressmen expressed their support for Nagorno Karabakh's independence and its commitment to democracy and stability in the South Caucasus. "I congratulate the people of NKR on the 15th anniversary of the Nagorno Karabakh Liberation Movement and their incredible determination to establish a free and open democratic society," Pallone said. Echoing his remarks Kennedy's statement said: "Despite years of ethnic cleansing, forced economic discrimination and state-sponsored violence and intimidation, residents of Nagorno Karabakh ... never strayed in their struggle for independence.... I hope that this Congress will continue to assist them in the continued development of their democracy, which serves as a beacon of hope to oppressed people seeking democracy around the globe." "[Nagorno Karabakh] strongly contribute[s] to peace and stability in the South Caucasus region - a goal the United States shares with them," said Nunes in his statement before the U.S. House of Representatives. February 20, 1988 is generally regarded as the beginning of Nagorno Karabakh's modern national liberation movement. On that day, the Nagorno Karabakh legislature officially petitioned the Soviet government to reunite the area with Armenia. Tens of thousands demonstrated for weeks in Nagorno Karabakh to support that decision and to show their desire to live in freedom and determination to restore historical justice. The national liberation movement that began immediately after Stalin's infamous decision to include NK in Azerbaijan, was reborn in 1988 as the people of Karabakh saw an opportunity in Gorbachev's democratization agenda to correct the mistakes of the Soviet totalitarian past. The central government in Moscow and later, newly
independent Azerbaijan resorted to political pressure, blockades, massacres
and an outright war, to crush the liberation movement. By the summer
of 1992, with Azerbaijan's military forces occupying most of the NK,
the country was on the verge of extinction. Total physical annihilation
of NK Armenians seemed imminent. Yet, despite enormous hardship, the
perseverance and determination of the people of Karabakh prevailed.
Morally supported by human rights champions, including Vice-Speaker
of the British House of Lords Baroness Caroline Cox and the late Andrey
Sakharov, Nagorno Karabakh successfully expelled the aggressor and defended
its right to live in freedom, under a government of its own choosing.
On February 28, 1988 a horrible tragedy unfolded in the Azerbaijani town of Sumgait, situated thirty minutes away from the capital Baku. Almost the entire city (population 250,000) became an arena for unobstructed mass pogroms of its Armenian population. Azeri thugs broke into apartment buildings, with lists in hand of Armenian tenants residing there. Azeries were armed with sharpened iron rods, hatchets, knives, broken bottles, rocks and gas tanks. They killed, raped and burned Armenian residents alive and mutilated their bodies in broad daylight. More than 50 Armenians were killed and hundreds were wounded. More than two hundred apartments were robbed, dozens of cars were destroyed and burned, dozens of Armenian-owned retail outlets and art studious were demolished. Thousands became refugees. The anniversary of this tragic event was commemorated in Nagorno Karabakh this year. President Arkady Ghoukasian, Parliament Speaker Oleg Yesayan, Prime Minister Anoushavan Danielian and other government officials visited the Sumgait memorial in Stepanakert and laid flowers in the memory of innocent Armenians who fell victim to the blood-thirsty Azerbaijani mob. A rally was organized near the monument. In his address to rally participants, Yesayan said:
"By committing this act of genocide, Azerbaijani authorities declared
war against the Armenian people. They transformed the political process
of the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh problem into an armed ethnic
conflict. They had as their purpose the forceful deportation of the
entire Armenian population of The Sumgait massacre was the starting point of similar
campaigns in Baku, Kirovabad (Gandzak), Shemakha, Shamkhor, Mingechaur
and Nakhichevan that led to the disappearance of Azerbaijan's 450,000-strong
Armenian community and inspired the military aggression against the
Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh in 1991-1994. The evidence clearly proves
that the massacre was organized on the governmental level. For example,
in his address to the Supreme The organizers of the Armenian massacres in Azerbaijan
throughout the 20th century were certainly inspired by the fact that
Turkey, after butchering more 1.5 million Armenians in the genocide
of 1915-1923, has even to this day not been held accountable.
From the beginning of this year, the situation on
the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and
Azerbaijan has been tense. As we reported earlier, an Azeri reconnaissance
group was intercepted in January, resulting in the capture of an Azerbaijani
serviceman, who was returned to the Azerbaijani side February 6, following
President Arkady NKR Defense Army issued statements regarding these incidents, strongly condemning "Azerbaijan's gross violations of the cease-fire regime, which can destabilize the situation in the zone of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict." The most recent statement, issued February 26, also warned the Azerbaijani side that similar attempts to cross the Line of Contact will be countered with resolute actions. President Arkady Ghoukasian and the Personal Representative
of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk twice discussed the
situation on the Line of Contact during this period. The sides stressed
the importance of maintaining the cease-fire as a necessary step in
the peaceful resolution of the conflict. Kasprzyk also met with Foreign
Minister Ashot Ghoulian and The OSCE representatives carried out several monitoring
sessions in February and March. The first took place February 6 near
Karmiravan village in Martakert. Kasprzyk led the mission from the Karabakh
side. A brief radio contact was established between the commanders of
opposing sides. The Line of Contact was monitored again on February
27. The first two went without incident; however, prior to the third
monitoring, on March 13 near the town of Aghdam, shots were fired from
the Azerbaijani side. The shooting incident was registered by the OSCE
officials. During all three monitoring sessions, representatives of
NKR Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs accompanied the OSCE representatives.
The National Statistic Service reported on February
6 that industrial output in 2002 totaled $14 million. An industrial
growth of $3.7 million was registered last year, which is 36% higher
than in 2001. The private sector experienced a remarkable boost in industrial
production, with its output more than doubling over 2001. In the same
period, government-owned enterprises increased their production only
by 1.1%. Sales of finished goods also increased by 33.6%, totaling $13.6
million. Exports went mostly to non-CIS states with a total $2 million
this year (4.4 times higher than in 2001), while exports to CIS states
totaled $0.5 million. Three hundred Since the end of hostilities in 1994, the Nagorno
Karabakh government has been attempting to revive the collapsed economy
with notable success. Despite the absence of assistance from international
lending organizations, the government has made significant progress
in partially restoring the republic's industrial infrastructure. Serious
economic reforms, initiated by President Arkady Ghoukasian's administration
in 1999, tax code simplification and the introduction of numerous investor
incentives resulted in an inflow of almost $30 million from Armenia,
Australia, Great Britain, Iran, Lebanon, Monaco, Russia, Switzerland
and the United States since 1999. Major investments have been made in
telecommunications, agriculture, wood processing, hotel business, fine
jewelry and watch production and banking.
The Nagorno Karabakh National Assembly ratified the
laws "On Taxes", "On Income Tax", "On Value-Added
Tax" and "On Trade Tax" at its 6th session on February
28. During deliberations, members of the government answered parliamentarians'
questions regarding the bills. During another session on March 19, the
parliament adopted bills "On Orphans", "On Food Security",
"On Join-Stock Ventures" and amended laws "On Education"
and "On Mass Media". The Head of the M?decins Sans Fronti?res' (MSF-France) mission to Armenia, Marie Deblez visited Nagorno Karabakh and met separately with Deputy Foreign Minister Masis Mailian and Health Minister Zoya Lazarian on February 25. Informing Nagorno Karabakh officials that her tour of duty was nearing its end, she introduced her successor, Samuel Enrion. Mailian informed MSF representatives that the government will continue assisting the humanitarian organization in its projects. MSF has been actively involved in providing humanitarian assistance to Nagorno Karabakh since 1992. In 1997 it launched its successful anti-tuberculosis program, providing local hospitals with medications and training. Another humanitarian organization involved in post-conflict
humanitarian assistance in Nagorno Karabakh, the International Committee
of the Red Cross (ICRC) began implementing its "Safe Playgrounds
for Children" program. The Head of the ICRC Office in Stepanakert,
Charlotte Hartford announced in March that the program envisions construction
of playgrounds in 30 villages of Dizak, Jraberd, Khachen, Shushi and
Varanda provinces in secure areas, away from mine fields. The first
playgrounds will be installed by the end of June. The program, undertaken
in cooperation with the government, will be completed by the end of
this year. * * * 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. This material is distributed by the Office of
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the USA on behalf of the Government
of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. The NKR Office is registered with
the U.S. Government under the Foreign Agent Registration Act. Additional
information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
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