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Getashen Was The Beginning Of Undeclared War

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  • Getashen Was The Beginning Of Undeclared War

    GETASHEN WAS THE BEGINNING OF UNDECLARED WAR
    By Kim Gabrielian in Stepanakert

    AZG Armenian Daily
    02/05/2006

    These very days 15 years ago the forced eviction of Armenian population
    in Getashen (northern Nagorno Karabakh) began. Supported by the Soviet
    Army, Azerbaijani OMON (Special Purpose Detachment of Militsiya)
    forced the Armenian population of the region out of their homes. The
    Armenians were deprived of all possibility for self-defense, and
    only thanks to a group of martyrs the number of victims did not
    increase. That was the beginning of genocidal actions, which grew
    into a bloody war against the freedom-loving people of Karabakh.

    On occasion of this anniversary NK parliament factions Democracy and
    Fatherland and leaders of ARF Movement-88 called a news briefing.

    Head of Democracy faction, Vahram Atanesian, stated that the Getashen
    events were the response of Soviet leadership to Armenia's refusal
    to participate in the referendum to decide USSR's future.

    As a response to Soviet Armenia's April 24 statements on situation in
    Getashen, Mikhail Gorbachev sealed off this Armenian region banning
    even sanitarian helicopters to enter Getashen. On May 6, Russian
    soldiers bundled 4.000 Armenians off to Armenia.

    The April 6 visit of Russian general Boris Gromov to the epicenter
    of ethnic tensions and his meeting with illegal lord of Karabakh,
    Viktor Polyanichko evidence that eviction was conducted by direct
    order from Soviet leadership.

    On May 15, Azerbaijani authorities made a decision to transport their
    citizens who had settled in Armenian houses in various Azeri towns to
    Getashen. This was an unprecedented act of ethnic cleansing in the
    Soviet history. This notorious Soviet-Azeri campaign named "Koltso"
    (circle) continued in Shahumian and in Nagorno Karabakh itself.

    Presenting the events at large, Vahram Atanesian said that the NK
    parliament is going to organize hearings on 15th anniversary of tragic
    events in Getashen and Shahumian. They plan to invite Russian deputies
    also as still in 1991 a group from Russian parliament arrived in the
    region and after seeing what had happened they held hearings back
    home. Shorthand report of the Russian hearings in the State Duma
    archives will certainly shed light on the events of 1991 confirming
    the anti-Armenian policy of Azerbaijan in late 20th century.

    Head of Fatherland faction, Artur Tovmasian, added that the eviction of
    Getashen triggered in fact an undeclared war against Nagorno Karabakh.

    Armen Sargsian, head of ARF Movement-88, said that though the Getashen
    events took place under Bolshevik rule, Azerbaijan anti-Armenian
    policy has not changed with the regime shift, and the lesson of
    Getashen teaches that we have to rely only on ourselves.
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