Azerbaijan

In April 2012 German language “Rochfeller Magazine" magazine had published an article about the living conditions of Azerbaijani people settled along the line of contact between the Armenian-Azerbaijani troops and how it affects the daily life of the population. (This article was alter re-published by a number of foreign media outlets, including influential U.S. newspaper "The Wall Street Journal" ).

The article is about Chiragly village, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the contact line in Agdam, being under control of Azerbaijan. The hero of the article is 70-year-old resident of the village of Khosrow Shukurov.  The magazine writes that he is not guilty for beginning of the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, but the effects of this war are felt by him every day: "Khosrov’s home and yard is behind of 2 walls, the gate and walls of the house have holes of hundreds of bullets. On the other side of the wall is the line of contact around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Shukurov live on the Azerbaijani side of the contact line. In Chiraqli village the door of every house has traces of bullets; soldiers in trenches adjacent to the village targeted their weapons against the Armenian snieprs". "Every day we hear the sound of the fire. Sometimes Armenian soldiers reach 150 meters of distance of our homes. The windows of second floor of the house was built of stone, we know that we can use the first floor only," - said Shukurov. Peasant says that his daughter was wounded a few years ago by Armenian bullets. She was shot at the wedding. Since the summer of 1993, live of residents of the village Chiraqly of Agdam has changed dramatically, "- the article writes.

The author recalls the history of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and writes that the fragile cease-fire exists between the two sides and front passes from the current contact line. "Agdam was occupied on July 23, 1993", - said Mr. Gasimov, the deputy head of the executive power. Now, 77 percent of the region is under the control of Armenia. Including Aghdam city Gasimov lived previously. “More than 6 thousand people were killed in the war from our region, only 141 thousand refugees driven out from Agdam" - he said. As can be seen on the Internet the Agdam city with pre-war population of 50 thousand people now turned into ruins and destroyed entirely. 

Journal reminds us that the UN Security Council in 1993 unanimously supported Azerbaijan and demanded withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories. In connection with the occupation of Agdam region on July 29, 1993, a resolution was adopted: "According to international law, the position of Azerbaijan is right. Nobody recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent republic and the world sees it as part of Azerbaijan "

According to the magazine, despite all the problems, Chiraqlı village resident Kh.Shukurov says that they want to live in the village. Shukurov cannot attract other village elders to talk, because they can be targeted to the Armenian snipers. Other areas were impassable because of the mines. Agdam is the line of contact, and many inhabitants call is the "death zone". At the same time, residents of the village can see Armenian forces in the Karabakh, even without the help of binocular, “border posts" erected by enemy. For more than 20 years, the OSCE mediates between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and so far there is no result. Experts, politicians and diplomats, speaking on Nagorno Karabakh uses the phrase "frozen conflict". However, when observed closely, this conflict is not frozen at all, which is powder barrel more ready to explode", - the magazine writes.

"The New York Times" newspaper staff Russ Juskalian (Russ Juskalian) visited the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and wrote an extensive article about what he saw. The article was published in the newspaper’s edition dated September 21, 2012.

It becomes clear from article that that a journalist is of Armenian descent, and her grandmother at the time of the events in 1915 emigrated to the United States from the territory of Ottoman Turkey. The author writes that Nagorno-Karabakh was an autonomous region within Azerbaijan at Soviet period. The status could temporarily calm the conflict between Armenians and Azerbaijanis living in this region. But the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 80s of the last century the ethnic conflict resumed and became bloody.

He writes that when he went to Nagorno-Karabakh,  he expected to see luxury hotels, buses with a/c  and a rich cuisine. However, he did not meet with any of it. "Instead of it we were housed in local homes. That is, there is no guarantee of finding water, we had to eat ordinary food, we used to drive  in Soviet-era "Lada" or outdated, the bold  wheeled mini bus. I have tried to know more about the region which I knew less about its inconveniences “writes Rus Juskalian.

American travellers then went to Shusha  which is located in  "20 minutes" from  Khankendi  and stayed in home of Baku origin Armenian Saro Saryan. The author writes that Shusha faced many troubles, at the end of 80s it was a strong point of Azerbaijanis. Many of the city's buildings were destroyed by Armenians rockets fired from Khankendi.

American journalist and his friend after viewing Nagorno-Karabakh’s "Armenianized" historical monuments went to see Agdam’s  ruins. He writes while driving on Stepanakert-Mardakert (Khankendi-Agdara) road in "a lemon car”  ruins of Agdam can be observed in the moving taxi but the Armenian driver warns that shooting of  photos is prohibited. Then driver increased the speed so that foreign journalists could not see these scenes.

Rus Juskalian later wrote that during the Nagorno-Karabakh war the Armenians as if fought to get revenge for what they faced from Turks. But author surprises to understand why their Azerbaijani neighbours were driven from homes, killed in mass, so to quit for their over century persecution by Turks. “How to be with young Azerbaijani girls and boys that even did not see ever the places of their birth? I am being of Armenian descent, probably will not be able to see the rest of Azerbaijan. But they cannot see birthplaces.  American journalist visited Kalbajar region being under occupation and wrote to describe whatever he saw in destroyed Kalbajar like Agdam. Nobody lives in city except few Armenians transferred here from Russia and other foreign countries. However, it is possible to see Armenians having rest in sanatoriums of Istisu of Kalbajar being under the ruins.

In March 2012 "The tension in the Caucasus" article was published in Montreal, Canada, in "La Presse" newspaper, an article devoted to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. Author of the article journalist Laura Julie Perrault notes that an ancient land of Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijani land, and in recent years conflict has been forgotten. However, she shows that in recent years the deadlock in the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and presence of the conflict situation in the region may lead to the start of the conflict with participation of Russia, Iran and Turkey..

Author L.Perrault states that the Nagorno-Karabakh annexed by Armenia is the Azerbaijani territory under international law, and that, if the population of the region in 1994 was 75 per cent Armenians, and 25 % of Azerbaijanis, but today the Nagorno-Karabakh’s population is only Armenian. The author also  notes that Armenian army occupied 7 other regions around  Nagorno-Karabakh of Azerbaijan, and 600 thousand Azerbaijanis from Nagorno-Karabakh and the other occupied territories was expelled.

The article also noted that so called Nagorno-Karabakh is an institution did not recognized by any other country of the world. The author also notes that the key issue of dispute between the parties is to determine the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh in particular by holding a referendum. According to the author, if Armenians want only participation of “ Nagorno-Karabakh residents'’ in referendum but Azerbaijan is in favour of the referendum to be held all over the country.

At the end of the article it tells about the conflict and its interested participants. Armenia is close ally of Russia and Iran has complicated history of relations with Azerbaijan and ignorance of secular regime in Azerbaijan, so it defends the Armenia. As a close ally Turkey supports Azerbaijan.

Italy's prestigious "L Occidentale" newspaper (June, 2012) published an article about Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Lasha Zilpimani, the author of the article says that the recent ceasefire violation on the frontline of concerns the international community. Outbreak of Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh conflict poses a great threat to the entire Caucasus region.

Nagorno-Garabakh conflict for 20 years is in the frozen condition. Intermediary mission of Russia and the West in spite of the efforts of 20 years no solution was found with the parties to the conflict. In 1994, the current status quo has been concluded as a result of the peace agreement.

Armenia and the Armenian lobby with support of the army of the Soviet Union has occupied a large territory in Nagorno-Karabakh region, at result of which Azerbaijanis people were driven out of their native lands. After that, the Nagorno-Karabakh declared its independence unilaterally. However, its independence was not recognized by any state or international organization of the world. This means that Armenia has expanded its territory to occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, in fact.

If there were not political, military and economic assistance, the Armenia cannot even occupy Azerbaijani territories, but could not survive as an independent state. Due to a number of contradictions in the beginning of the conflict, the European Union, in particular with respect to the position of resolution of the conflict did not act prudently.

Azerbaijan's territorial integrity is recognized by all the countries in the world and the United Nations (UN), and Today, Azerbaijan rightly demands that his sovereignty and territorial integrity recognized by the United Nations is to be respected and the occupied territories freed. Despite the fact that the international laws in favour of Azerbaijan but these territories are still under Armenian occupation. Of course, such a situation can not satisfy official Baku. 

In Hungarian "Nepsava" newspaper on May 9, 2012 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of occupation of Shusha by Armenian armed forces the article "Flames of Garabakh conflict" has been published. The author of the article, Ferens Kepec is a well-known journalist and publicist, who in the past year with representatives of the Hungarian media visited Azerbaijan and had a chance to get acquainted with the living conditions of refugees and IDPs, with the bitter results of the Nagorno-Garabakh conflict on site.  

The article is about establishing of Shusha by Azerbaijanis, about being of "Conservatory of the Caucasus" for a period of 200 years, the city's rich culture. He states about brutal destruction of Shusha, which declared as an important cultural monuments in the region in 1985, by Armenians. While investigating the reasons of leaving of Azerbaijanis the city in May 1992, where Azerbaijanis consisted of more than 90 per cent of city population the author shows that if they remained in Shusha  the second Khijaly tragedy may be repeated by Armenian vandals in this city.

Ferens Kepec writes not only about occupation of Susa but other 7 regions, carrying out by Armenian armed forces sniper was not only against our military but against civilians, too even they did not stop killing of young children. To justify his words an author reminds about the victims of Armenian terrorism, killing just last year 9-year-old  Fariz Badalov and 13-year-old Aygun Shahmaliyeva. Despite being 20 years under the occupation of Shusha is in historical memory of the people. The article also consisted of semi destroyed minarets of Shusha mosque of Govhar agha.