LETTER TO CO-CHAIRMEN OF THE MINSK GROUP OF OSCE

FROM THE FORUM OF REFUGEES FROM AZERBAIJAN SSR

We have learnt that your regular goodwill mission to our region again began with a visit to Baku ahead of the scheduled date. During a similar visit to Baku Mr.Warlik, — one of the co-chairmen, had enough time to meet Azerbaijani refugees and other «interested» peoples and after his visit to Yerevan he announced that he also met the Armenian refugees. Our efforts to identify these persons failed. From the formal point of view the visits refer also to us, but in reality these apply above all to us. It is evident, however, that like the former missions this time also you will not occupy yourselves with any problems of our concern, and not a single syllable about us will be recorded anywhere. Because by your logic we are the ones that according to the Madrid Principles should have vanished in more than 30 year long cycle of odd intermediary policy.

We were doomed to extermination, but still exist and refuse to be a tacit and obedient toy and fight for restoration of violated rights. Along with more than 660,000 deported Armenians, there were many other ethnic and religious groups including the Assyrians, Russians, Greeks, Jews, Lezgins, Talyshs, Udis and even Azerbaijanis. (Perhaps these facts are familiar to you  from our 2010 year message, where we tried to identify those, who promoted by their inactivity, and those, who actively directed and controlled the continuation of bloodshed in the region).

As is known, the first pogroms were initiated in 1987 in Chardakhlu, and continued  in 1988 in Sumgait, Baku, Gandzak, all areas of Azerbaijan populated by the Armenians, by invading the homes inhabited by Armenians, raping the women in streets and squares of cities and settlements, in entrances of buildings, killing and torturing of victims by ehnicity in thousands of bloody shabashes led by the leaders of the future independent Azerbaijan.

Behind of all these a conspiratorial hand is clearly seen to orchestrate the genocide of Armenian population in the West Caspian as a continuation of that in Turkey in 1915. The events in Azerbaijan after the proclamation of its independence were committed with the cruelty not exceeded even by «DAISH». By the same token Europe was made to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan ignoring the slaughter of 1987-1992 years. The dating of Karabakh conflict from 1992 is a consequence of the fact that those who did not leave their homeland in 1987-92, formed self-defense groups to resist the slaughterers in Chardakhly, Baku, Gandzak and elsewhere, retreated to Artsakh, and organized a successful resistance.

Now Azerbaijan constantly threatens the Armenian refugees settled in areas liberated from genocide with a new genocide. The huge amounts gained by Azerbaijan from selling oil are used to fund the continuity of genocide, involving the outside world in accompliceship. The United Nations, OSCE, some powers, obeying the same rules of game, ignore us all over the world. We are not mentioned neither during the negotiations nor in any document.

We were shocked by the direction issued in 2007 by the International Crisis Group based on the Madrid Principles, according to which the areas liberated from the genocidal Baku regime were referred to as «occupied», the authorities of Artsakh and Armenia were forbidden to populate these lands by Armenian refugees, create their autonomous bodies, build the required infrastructures, and specified other prohibitions associated with problems of Armenian refugees. They were instructed to regularly meet with internally displaced Azeri persons without saying a word about the Armenian refugees or internally displaced Armenian persons. And, again, there was no word about where should live as a whole the community of refugees that escaped the genocide and were scattered all over the world.

Having fulfilled all these requirements, the governments of Artsakh and Armenia became accomplices of the ideologists of genocide, — the International Crisis Group, the OSCE and a number of countries and organizations.

Your stance on hiding the truth and falsifying the reality, was worked out in tandem with Azerbaijan and consists in dating the outbreak of conflict at 1992 neglecting 1987-1992  genocide, thereby conniving, if not supervising, the incessant hostility and bloodshed.

The ban on population of liberated territories with refugees closed the only way to peace. This is another crime against humanity because with settling of Armenian refugees in  areas liberated from Azerbaijani «DAISH», a sustained community would have been created that could enter into negotiations with prudential citizens of the former Azerbaijan SSR to find ways to peaceful and safe life.

It is precisely owing to your efforts that this opportunity was lost and we demand a response. WHY?

Martin Israjelyan, Chairman of CK «The Union of Armenians from Azerbaijan SSR»

Mariam Avagyan, The Coordinator of the Board of the Forum of Refugees from Azerbaijan SSR

February 6, 2018

A source in media in Armenian — http://www.aravot.am/2018/02/07/935721/